We spent three days in Monterey, California, doing basically nothing but eating and walking miles along the boardwalk in Pacific Grove and the bike path in Monterey. We walked and then ate, and then sometimes walked some more. When we weren’t walking or eating, the activities included simply being blobs, like reading books or knitting or watching “Good Omens”. It was a really hellish vacation.
While walking in Pacific Grove, we admired trees and people and rocks and birds. Then I espied this gentleman, out in the full sun, painting a view behind me. I stopped and looked, and decided to chat him up a bit – it is very seldom I see someone painting directly from the real world. Where I live, you are likely to faint from dehydration these days.
Anyway, he was so friendly and nice! (And he let me take his picture, too.) His name is Ethan Walsh, and he has a lovely website, Ethan Walsh Paintings which I decided to visit. His paintings appear deceptively simple – they look so easy to have done, but you can see the skill and work behind them. His portraits are really amazing, especially in his ability to capture expression. I wish I could do as well. Add to that, he paints the Monterey area, and he catches the light and geography beautifully. Look him up!
This is the view Ethan was painting – Monterey pines on a rocky outcropping into the waters of the Monterey Bay. Here he is painting in oils and was using a fine brush to catch the details. This painting is very different than the ones I saw on his website, and to me this attests to an ability to move in many dimensions when wielding pigment.
Ethan – if you read this, thanks for spending a few minutes with me in the middle of your painting. I really enjoyed it!
And for those of you who are curious, these images were taken using a Nikon FM2n, 100mm Series E f2.8 lens and Lomography Metropolis film.
Ink, Yarn & Beer 