More about Artist Grant Pecoff

End of the Day

This is a painting of some surfers out in Hanalei Bay, Kauai. I love the angle and view of the surfers, they are barely noticeable and silhouetted by the bright sunlight. That is how it is out there... you catch a great wave and as you are paddling back out for more, the ocean moves up and down with the swell, and you catch glimpses of the other wave riders further out also waiting for the next wave. It was one of those glassy afternoons, and the water was alive with color. If you have ever been out in the water at this time you know what I am talking about. If you haven't, try to get out there and in the meantime enjoy the painting!

Summer Waves of Hanalei

It was yet another fabulous evening in the water! My eyes were filled with the electricity of all the colors. The surface of the water was glassy, with no wind chop - a mirror of absolute fluidity. The colors above me in the sky were reflected in the perpetual body of liquid, and I was underneath it, above it, surrounded by it, playing in it. Patterns within patterns within patterns of color and light. I was thinking, "How is this possible?!" A smile lit up my face, my eyes grew wide and I all I wanted was to give thanks to the sky, the ocean, the moment.

Suddenly, a surfer pops up, making the transition from paddling in the wave to riding that wave, totally immersed in the liquid. It was a smooth and beautiful ride – graceful and glossy. In these moments, you just take it all in, paddle back out, and give thanks for surfing the Summer Waves in Hanalei.

Surfin' the Pier

I walked along Pismo Beach for a good hour, trying to allow my mind to let go of the concerns of home and instead open myself to the road ahead. My trip up the coast had just began, and Pismo, being my first stop, was the perfect place to unwind.

With shoes in hand, I strolled on down the beach, my feet welcoming the sand between my toes. There is nothing like that feeling! It was a perfect afternoon of reflection- my eyes gazing down at the sand, then lifting my head to the ocean, and back down again, mesmerized. All I needed now was a board and a wetsuit and the day would be complete.

I envied the surfers lining up for the next wave. To feel the gentle rocking motion of the ocean while you sit on your board waiting for the set to come in… well, it can’t get much better than that.

I wanted to paint this painting big, lending to the expansive nature of such a scene. The pier is silhouetted by the sun, which is about to set… and the surfer arrives ready for an afternoon session.

 

Crossing the Lagoon at Torrey Pines

Low Tide at Tower 7

Sunset at Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California. I was driving down Pacific Coast Highway and my breath was taken away by the golden light of the setting sun over Cardiff Reef. This was a day when the tide was unusually low exposing more of the rocky reef than normal and the setting sun bounced off the water and bathed everything with a soft warm glow. The shadows were long and purple.

I was drawn to the soft light of the sun contrasted by the crisp edge of the exposed reef. The unusual height of the lifeguard tower rising over the sunken beach added an exaggerated perspective. The light reflecting off the steel safety railing and decking around the tower illuminated the turquoise colored fiberglass and I was immediately attracted to paint it. The colors and contrasts of Tower 7 work together to create a balance, a harmony. This harmony is what makes Cardiff so special.

3 Sisters of Gualas

I stood there, my mouth open, my eyes following the towering weather-beaten trunk to the top. The head of the palm exploded with feathers of fronds. Coconuts dangled, waiting for an unexpected wind, or maybe an athletic local to pluck them from their nest. I could only hope for a gust of wind (unable to see myself climbing a forty foot palm for a coconut), to cause this nut to drop, allowing me to crack it open and taste its sweet insides. Three palms swaying together in the breeze, like a family of sisters watching over one another - riding the wind of life.

I wanted to paint these palms with no other distractions; no ocean, no jungle, no clouds, etc. To treat them as icons of the Caribbean islands. I chose the red background to give the simplicity of the composition a punch, vibrancy. The blue of the fronds adds just the right amount of drama and spontaneity; taking the obvious color of the palms and dispelling all of our known identifications with it. The yellow trunks keep within that same idea and provide a stark complement to both the blue of the fronds and the red of the background, again helping to emphasize their iconographic feeling.

 

Jungle Twilight

Self-Realization at Dusk