Santa Cruz, CA

Growing up in the Bay Area meant lots of day trips to nearby beaches. We frequented lots of small beach towns in Santa Cruz, CA, which were about a 45 minute drive away. My favorite and most nostalgic places in Santa Cruz were Natural Bridges State Park, Capitola Beach, and the views from West Cliff Drive. In this painting, I wanted to include elements from all of these places in my imagined- version of this beautiful city.

One of my favorite childhood memories is going to the Eucalyptus forests in Natural Bridges every fall. My brother and I would lay down on a wooden platform and look up at the trees, which looked like they were covered in bright orange leaves. We would watch until a light breeze would come, and all of the “orange leaves” would fly away. These leaves were actually a swarm of Monarch Butterflies that would migrate to Santa Cruz this time of year.

Materials Used: Acrylic, Canvas

Size: 9x11