Vista Romantica: San Clemente Pier
Paul Gavin, Ink & watercolor, 1988
Original ink & watercolor. Contact the artist to purchase.
The San Clemente Pier Bowl is depicted in this pen & ink watercolor painting done from the famous Ole Hanson's "Casa Romantica." Easily seen are the pier, restaurants, and other structures of the beach area, as well as the surfers, sunbathers, and swimmers in this summer scene which also includes the famous "T-Street" beach in the distance just behind the approaching Amtrak train. This image is the second in Paul Gavin's Premiere Coastal Series.
After finishing and beginning to sell the Dana Dreams print, many people asked me to paint the San Clemente pier. It took a while to choose the ultimate location which proved to be just below Casa Romantica, city founder Ole Hanson's old residence, and hence the name.
When I first set up to paint, the then proprietor of the Casa came walking down to see what I was doing. As I stood up to greet her, she stepped back saying that she was surprised to find a well dressed individual as my equipment had made her believe that someone had actually set up a campsite on the hill.
This image had to be actually drawn twice. The original on which I was working was in my 1987 Astro van when I was struck almost head-on while driving south on Coast Highway in Huntington Beach. While I was uninjured, my vehicle was upside down with nearly every piece of my art display inside the car, along with this original being damaged or destroyed.
Truly a lesson in how one's life can change in an instant, this incident actually prodded me to work harder and drive even more carefully. Even though it was late and Pacific Coast Highway was practically deserted, this vehicle actually came across four empty lanes to hit me.
There were also many unhappy clients who had ordered prints, the deliveries of which would now be delayed for months. However they were very understanding.
Look carefully at the people on the beach in this painting. I thought the groupings were so good that I again used a few of them in the recently completed Ocean Festival painting.
Limited edition offset lithograph. Signed, numbered, and remarqued by the artist. Edition limited to 500 numbered impressions and 50 artist proofs. Image size 32" x 17". Sheet size 38" x 22". Unframed.