Low Tide Reflections

By: Kat Bauer

PLEIN AIR PAINTING

This painting show my daughter on the beach near our home. The tide that afternoon was one of the lowest tides of the year and my children were having so much fun running on the wet sand. These moments of joy and beauty are the highlights of being a mom. My art training has been fo- cused on the figure and the traditional realism of the old masters. Living near the beach in Southern California has inspired me to delve into plein air (outdoor) painting. I feel it is the closest I can come to portraying the effects of light and color of the California beaches. I then use the outdoor oil sketches and quick figure studies for reference to inform larger studio paintings, adding detail, texture and character. I have loved the figure drawing classes at MiraCosta College as a way to sharpen and maintain my drawing skills while being a stay-at-home mom.