Oregon Coast Commission
Our friends, the Pattons, rent a special house on the Oregon Coast every year and wanted a painting of the view from that house. The only requirement was the size (60” x 42”) so it would fit in their entryway. They wanted mostly blues, greens and purples to match their interior. I used oil and cold wax to give it a slightly abstract feel. And then the fun began.
Hidden in the painting is a stencil of a computer board for Jeff who worked with my husband, Andrew, on computers.
A poem called The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow because it talks of sand, travellers, waves, and horses (because their daughter owns and rides horses).
I mixed real sand into the paint for the sandy areas.
I also mixed beads into the paint to give the rocky areas some texture.
I tried to make it as personal for them as possible and it was a real treat to see that it wasn’t just a painting of the coast, it was their painting of the special place that they share with their family.