that experience, helping you embrace it and savor it for a longer period of time.” Short has woven painting and surfing together in a way which celebrates both the experimental freshness of surf art and the high craft of plein air painting. Today, Southern California remains a rich haven for professional painters as well as many American Society of Marine Artists (ASMA) painters such as Calvin Liang, Ruo Li, Carolyn Hesse-Low, the late Greg LaRock, and myself. We paint the same golden sunlight under which the Chumash hunted hundreds of years ago. Hundreds of years from now there will be no difficulty interpreting the works we leave behind, a testament to the beauty of this coast, the vibrancy of our culture, and proof that we have had a great time at the beach here in Southern California.
Micaiah Hardison is a lifelong surfer from California and an award-winning oil painter. As a signature member of the American Society of Marine Artists and a long-standing member of Oil Painters of America and California Art Club, his works are frequently selected for juried exhibitions around the country. In 2018, Hardison’s work was featured in the Oil Painters of America 27th National Exhibition, the 39th Annual Marine Art Exhibition at the Maritime Gallery at Mystic Seaport, and the 25th Annual Maritime Art Exhibit at Coos Art Museum, where he was awarded Best in Show. (www.micaiah.net) This article was adapted from a previously published article in the Fall 2020 issue of the American Society of Marine Artists News & Journal, Vol. XLII, with the addition of new images. For more information on ASMA artists, workshops, and exhibitions, visit: www.americansocietyofmarineartists.com.
Peace Alights by Kevin A. Short 30
SEA HISTORY 175, SUMMER 2021