Tower 1: Torrey Pines

There's something liberating about breaking out of the safety zone. I usually limit myself to small paintings when painting outdoors. I don't want to get in over my head, so I keep to a comfortable, small size that I know I can finish in a short amount of time.

This entire month has been devoted to exploring all over Torrey Pines, and every time I enter the park, I drive past this scene. And I am always compelled to paint it. There's something about the simplicity of this blue lifeguard tower with the backdrop of dramatic cliffs rising vertically behind it.

It was a sunny day, with plenty of marine layer in the distance, which added to the dramatic scenery.

I decided to take a risk, and paint larger than usual- just to see what would happen. I had a 20" x 20" canvas all ready to go. However, devising a way to attach it to my easel (which only holds smaller paintings) was a challenge. Luckily, I had some bungee chords in my backpack which created the perfect solution. The setup could not have worked better!