Rockpile Beach, Laguna Beach--plein air

As I set up my easel, the Sun was coming up behind the palms atop these cliffs that jut out into the water about a half mile north of the Hotel Laguna in Laguna beach California. The challenge was to create color where I saw none in the backlit forms, and to convey the bright light of the sun although the primary colors of the land were blackish-brown, and the sea was a dull violet. I wanted the painting to look like sunny Laguna Beach, where I have painted many times during the last 15 years in the Laguna Invitational.