I had fun with this one. It's bigger than I usually paint but I recently read an article from Linda Blondheim who said something to the effect that if you don't paint big, you might as well pack it in. I usually paint smaller for several reasons: they take less time, thus instant gratification is mine -- I can charge less for them because they take less time to paint -- they are easier and less costly to frame -- AND they take up less room to store. But my daughter and her husband (both business savvy people) have also suggested that I should paint larger paintings. Then to top it off, my girlfriend gave me some large canvases for my birthday. This canvas is 18" by 36" - an unusual shape which really called for a long narrow landscape scene.

Late one evening I was traveling along Las Virgenes Road from the beach through the canyon and back to the 101. It was a beautiful evening... not quite twilight but close. It was a cloudless day but there was lots of moisture in the air and the far layers of mountains faded into the cool distance and provided a backdrop for lovely trees and long shadows, with warm grasses and a sprinkling of wild mustard in the foreground. I took lots of photos and combined several of them to create this scene.

Some artists don't feel that a title is important at all. However, I've heard some say that one of the reasons people buy their (abstract landscape) paintings is BECAUSE of the title. My opinion is somewhere in between the two. I think a title can catch your attention or make you look twice... or smile (always a good thing). Because I think titles ARE important... I've got a dilemma. I can't think of one that is "just right". I've thought of "Late In a Long Summer Day" and "Twilight Approaches Malibu Creek" but neither is doing it for me.... Do any of you have suggestions??