Big Sur and Beyond...Road Trip, Part 1

I'm still on the road, as I write this. I was hoping to be able to write blog posts more frequently, as things happened. But with the reality of camping and being in the wilderness, I quickly realized that wouldn't be happening without cell service. I've been finding myself becoming totally immersed in the breathtaking beauty of the Central Coast of California. As an artist and surfer, traveling along Highway 1 is one of my all-time favorite trips! The long and winding road along California's ever-changing coastline is a fertile environment for painting, writing, surfing and introspection. From time to time, I love getting away from the bustle of everyday life, and getting lost in nature. Being an artist, this is sometimes vital to the creative process. It really gets the creative juices flowing, and inspires new ideas.

For a while now, I have been looking for a reason to take this trip. When my dad notified me that one of my favorite master painters, Ovanes Berberian, would be teaching an outdoor painting workshop in Monterey, I realized this would be the perfect opportunity. I immediately enrolled in the workshop, and began planning my adventure.

I created multiple linen painting panels to have surfaces to paint on. I knew I would be painting for many hours a day during the workshop, but I also wanted to have painting panels ready for all of the outdoor paintings along my journey. (With an art show coming up in October- more on that soon- I really wanted to produce a lot of new paintings to bring back for the exhibit, as well as inspiration to produce new paintings upon my return.)

I also started building wet panel carriers, which serve to hold wet oil paintings for transportation, so that they can safely be stored without the oil paint smearing and ruining the painting (It takes about 4 days or so for wet oil paintings to dry to the

touch).

After a lot of list-making, ordering and prepping supplies, packing, and rushing around, I decided to get this truck on the road!

Stay tuned as I write more blog posts, photos, and Postcard stories for each adventure and painting!