Reflecting on Indian Beach

With "Reflecting on Indian Beach," Steve Hanks shows just why he is regarded as the best watercolor artist painting in America today. It is a definitive combination of beauty, emotion and environment. “There is a big difference between the beaches of the Northern Pacific Coast and those down in Southern California,” says Hanks. “The surf rolls in over long shallow flats. The waves pound and boil for great distances, creating in the air thick moisture. This subtly diffuses the light creating an atmosphere palatably different than that on the beaches farther south.” What began in his mind as a relatively straight-forward painting took Hanks over a month to create. He became absorbed in building the large reflective areas of the tidal flats. It seems as if we can reach in ourselves and run our fingers through the cool, moist sand at this serene and magical place where tree-lined mountains slip beneath the surface of the sea.