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Strasburg Studio Archives: Rediscovery in the Stacks
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T I M E M A C H I N E
Thank you for joining me on this monthly trip through the archives of my studio.
May SPOTLIGHT: "154 Sky 01 & 02," 24x24" oil on panel, 2001.
154 Sky 01, 24x24”, oil on birch panel, 2001.
Climbing into the way-back machine is where we find the paintings for this month's spotlight.
In 1999 I left my day job to pursue painting full time. Up to this point, most of my creative work had been done after hours and on the weekends.
Fully committed to landscape painting, I dreamt of being that romantic figure out on the cliffside making beautiful renditions of the majestic scenes unfolding before me.
The reality of dragging gear out, locating the “just right spot”, setting up and spending hours staring in one direction, proved too much for my enthusiasm when outside.
154 Sky 02, 24x24”, oil on birch panel, 2001.
Wind pushing clouds, sunlight moving across subjects, fighting the elements and impossible places to set up an easel made the act of outdoor painting less than ideal for me.
My biggest challenge is I want it all. I want to be present for it all while nature is putting on a show.
Parked on the side of Old San Marcos Road, looking up toward Highway 154, I shimmied down an embankment to capture a few quick photos which inspired these two paintings of the Santa Ynez Mountain range. The storm was passing quickly, the wind elbowing the clouds aside and briefly illuminating the hillside before casting it back into a grey stormy tableau.
These two early works, born from quick snapshots outside and contemplative reflection inside, solidified my resolve and shaped my identity as a studio painter.
Engaging in walking meditation, absorbing the landscape and reflecting on my experiences became integral to my artistic practice.
In 2001, I still maintained my own studio gallery at 30 Arlington Avenue in Santa Barbara. These paintings began their exhibition tour in Santa Barbara, traveled to two outdoor markets (in Beverly Hills and then Sausalito) ending their show careers in San Diego at Susan Street Fine Art before returning home to the studio shelves.
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Interesting local factoid:
DID YOU KNOW? In 1861, a stagecoach route was built across San Marcos Pass by Chinese workers working from both ends of the proposed course. The original stagecoach route started near Kellogg Avenue in Goleta. Later, the route began at the Arlington Hotel in downtown Santa Barbara. In 1892, a new route was built on what is now called Old San Marcos Road. After crossing the summit, the road went down to Cold Spring Tavern. Discovered on www.cahiways.org
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