A New Favorite Edgar Payne

"Marinescape", 1918, Edgar Alwyn Payne, collection of Bowers Museum Santa Ana

I thought I'd share a new find. (No, I didn't paint this.)

Last Saturday we visited the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana and saw the "Tsars' Cabinet" and "Gems of the Medicis" exhibits. We had great docent tour guides for both exhibits, and really enjoyed them. After a brief rest, we trooped to the nether regions of the museum, where they had hidden some of their collection of California paintings. A few are in a hallway, and thankfully there was a sign directing us upstairs to a conference room where the others were hidden.

I love this seascape by Edgar Payne — it is not his usual subject matter (very tall mountains, Breton boats, etc.), and I think that's part of why I enjoy it so much. Payne founded the Laguna Beach Art Association, and this painting is definitely part of his Laguna Beach days. I've spent some time painting in Laguna this summer and find the virtuosity of this wave so inspiring. Notice the reflection of the pinkish sky on the water, and how he sculpted the frothy part of the wave with light and shadow. Time to re-read his Composition of Outdoor Painting.