Cypress Lights: Behind the Art

We wanted to take a moment to look behind the scenes at one of Erin Hanson's newest paintings. Cypress Lights was painted in 2019 in her San Diego-based studio. We hope you enjoy this Erin Hanson interview about Cypress Lights. 

Where were you when you found this view? 

I was driving along the famous “17 mile drive” in Pebble Beach, between Carmel and Monterey.

What about this painting is most interesting to you? 

I used short, thickly-placed brush strokes to capture the glittering feeling of the color I saw that morning. I felt like the color was sparkling and changing before my eyes.

Tell me a bit about your use of color in this painting. 

In this painting, Cypress Lights, I wanted to bring to life all the color I saw in that early morning. Every surface, from the wet rocks to the shimmering ocean to the wind-bent cypress trees, was scintillating with glimmering color. Pinks and lavenders and sherbet oranges abounded everywhere I looked. 

Tell me a little bit about that day and the experiences of that particular adventure. 

I had been exploring the wine country region of Carmel Valley the day before, and I decided to watch the sunrise along the Monterey coastline. I woke up in the quiet darkness before dawn and drove my 20-ft cargo van to the coastline north of Pebble Beach. Since the roads were pretty much deserted, I was able to park my van randomly in the middle of the street and jump out and take photos whenever I liked. The sun rose beautifully and the sky was clear and free from fog. After taking about a hundred photos of the purple-hued Monterey rocks, I turned my attention to the cypress trees growing along the beach. These stately, wind-sculpted trees captured all the color of the dawn against their opalescent bark. I became enamored with their intricate, abstract shapes. My favorite cypress trees appeared when I drove through the Pebble Beach golf course.

Trivia: When was the first time you remember admiring a coastal view? 

The first time I remember being deeply impressed with the beauty of a coastline was camping as a kid at Leo Carrillo State Park, near Malibu. 

Painting Details: Cypress Lights measures 30 by 20 inches and was created on 1-1/2" canvas, with the painting continued around the edges of the canvas. 
Framing: The piece is framed in a 23kt gold leaf floater frame. For additional framing options please reach out to our collector relations manager Linda at (858) 324-4644 or linda@erinhanson.

Style: Open Impressionism
Medium: Oil on canvas
Artist: Erin Hanson
Location: 17 Mile Drive in Pebble Beach, California

View Erin Hanson's collection of cypress tree paintings here.