Moss Landing, revisited

Moss Landing

36"x48"

Oil on canvas

©2011 Giselle Gautreau

I love Moss Landing. Driving down Highway 1 toward Monterey, my eye is always drawn to the salt marshes & bright orange moss that is visible from the road. With the ever-present Pacific marine layer, the fog just makes this orange color glow. I started this canvas well over a year ago, and because it's a lot bigger than I normally work, it was very slow going. I'd put it away for a while, put it back on the easel, and continued to breathe life into it until I really captured that feeling... of that light-illuminated fog, the reflection of the water, and the glow of the orange moss. In this, I wanted the air to feel as palpable as the land.