Burning Off - Laguna Beach Oil Painting

Burning Off, 9"x12", oil on linen canvas panel available here
©2013 Cindy Greene

This was painted a few weeks ago at South Crescent Bay in Laguna Beach. The sun finally burned off the marine layer, and it was a gorgeous day. I painted fast, and snapped photos as the light and sky changed. After staring at the original painting for weeks, I worked out the final touches and finished it this week. 

I like the result of the late morning sun on the rocks and cliff, and the remnants of clouds still hanging over the horizon. I'm looking forward to returning soon. (And yes, those birds were there!)

Just Having Fun

Scott's Lobster, 2.5x3.5", oil on gessoed watercolor paper©2013 Cindy Greene

Sometimes it's great to just have fun. I know I have mentioned before that painting is hard. Maybe not this week? Oh, well next week I probably will.

The other day our friend Scott said I should paint a steak or a lobster to bring for dinner. I took him up on it, and he got a little ACEO-sized lobster for dinner. It was the most fun painting I've done in a long time.

June 6th

Low Tide, Normandy, 9"x12", oil on canvas panel,
©2013 Cindy Greene

Most Americans and Europeans over 40 have a pretty good idea of the meaning of "June 6." The sacrifice made by thousands of men to invade the beaches of Normandy to stop Hitler's march through the world is well known to many of those under 40 as well.

Although I have watched many documentaries about D-Day and the Normandy Invasion, I never knew what a Normandy beach looked like on a non-invasion day. When our daughter Hilary spent six weeks last summer volunteering in the tiny village of Merville-Franceville-LaPlage, she ran on the local beaches every day. Her photographs of the long, FLAT, shallow (and did I mention flat?) beaches gave me a view and understanding I never had before of the difficulty of landing an invasion force. Those men had to cross a lot of beach before reaching any sort of cover.

Above is a painting I did from one of her photographs, showing part of the Merville beach. This beach is just north of Sword Beach, where the British 3rd Infantry landed in their quest to get to Caen. Hilary blogged about her visit to the Pegasus Bridge Memorial here; it is only a mile or so from where she lived last summer.

Below are a few more of her amazing pictures; I hope she doesn't mind me sharing them. I look forward to visiting Normandy in person. Meanwhile, I salute and am thankful for those who moved onto these beautiful long, flat beaches on June 6, 1944, many of whom never went home.

©Hilary Greene 2013

©Hilary Greene 2013

©Hilary Greene 2013