Donald Neff

Aah Feel Sunshine

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A few weeks back in my “Aah Feel Good” post, I was out with the Monterey Bay Plein Air Painters (MBPAPA) at Garrapata State Park, right along that wild Big Sur coastline. It was classic coastal fog, socked-in so bad that some moments you could barely make out the ocean crashing below the cliffs. My piece turned out solid enough to probably be a keeper after a little studio touchup.

Now, the California Art Club was having a paint out at the same location, and it was bright and sunny!  

Quite a few fellow artists showed up.  I am not sure the count but there had to be at least twenty artists scattered along the cliffs.  It was also great to reconnect with some artist friends I hadn’t seen in years.   Here’s a few pictures of the group painting along the coastline–

On the drive down Highway 1, I was contemplating: Should I just paint sunshine right over that foggy version and finish it off? Or start fresh? I polled a bunch of my painter buddies on-site, and every single one told me: “Don’t you dare! That foggy one’s already good—leave it alone!”     So, I set up at the identical viewpoint, grabbed a panel the exact same size, and went for it: Garrapata Twins! One moody and atmospheric in the mist, the other bursting with golden California sunshine. 

Here’s a few pictures of me out painting (one photo courtesy of Nancy Takaichi)–

The new painting, I think is also a keeper after some TLC in the studio.  Here is a snapshot–

After touching up both, I am tempted to frame the pair as a diptych, fog vs sunshine.  Here is a shot of both them stacked in the studio.

What do you think? Diptych or not? I’d love to hear your take!

Update—

I had a few short videos I’ll add after publishing this post.

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AAH Feel Good…

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…so goes the iconic James Brown Song. It had been quite some time since I had been out painting on location, way too long, and going out felt good!! It had also been quite awhile since visiting the Big Sur coastline, not far from my home.

Monterey Bay Plein Air Painters was having their usual Wednesday paint-out at Garrapata State park, one of my favorite spots to paint, so joined them.  The forecast promised a partially cloudy day, and it was around the house here in Marina, but as soon as I got to Garrapata, here is what it looked like—

In some directions you couldn’t even see the water, just hear the crashing surf! Quite a few had shown up, maybe 12-15 artists, and we were all hoping a little sun would peek through the fog, which as expected it did towards noon time.

By the time I was packing up to head home, it was somewhat sunny, but the fog was starting to roll back in!

I spent several hours on the piece, which I think is a keeper after maybe a little studio touchup–

untitled, 8×16, oil on board

The California Art Club is having a paint-out in the same area in a couple weeks.  It will probably be time for a return visit!

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6″ Squared

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This is the last week of the Randy Higbee Gallery 6″ Squared show, and they are offering a President’s Day 20% discount! My little jewel of the crashing surf along the California coast is still available, plus others!

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The Exhibit

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Last night was the opening of my solo exhibit at the Pacific Grove Art Center. The center has four galleries and four simultaneous openings on the same evening. It was a grand time with around 400 art lovers showing up!

The show runs through February 26, so you’ve still got plenty of time to come and see for yourself! Pacific Grove Art Center hours: Wednesday – Saturday: 12:00 – 5:00 PM Sunday: 1:00 – 4:00 PM (Closed Monday & Tuesday)

Being busy, I didn’t take many pictures, but here are a few from the evening.

Here are a few short video clips–

Thanks to all my friends and neighbors who attended! I wish I would have taken more groups shots of all of us! Please stop by if you haven’t already!

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Where Light Falls

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Your first New Year’s resolution should be to come see my show!

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And Just Like That

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And Just Like That.

All of a sudden, I am in two upcoming shows, one virtual, and one in Downtown Old Monterey. The first is in the California Art Club “From Sea to Sierra” virtual show, March 23 through June 29, 2026. The second is at the Casa Gutierrez in downtown Monterey, a State Historic location, December 12, 2025 – May 2026. More details to follow.

Dunes View (Monterey), 15×30, oil on canvas
The Bell, 9×12, oil on panel, plein air

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2025 Holiday Sale is on NOW!!!

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Searching for the perfect, one-of-a-kind holiday gift that will be treasured for a lifetime? These charming little paintings are an unforgettable choice for anyone on your list! I’m also offering beautifully crafted notecards and art books at unbeatable prices. It’s my biggest holiday sale ever, with discounts of up to 70% off! Most pieces are unframed originals, but if a frame is shown, it’s yours too. If you are interested, just email me at donald@donaldneff.com
http://www.donaldneff.com/blog/holiday-sale/

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A Brush with the Clouds

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Having spent my adolescent and twenties in East Texas, I am always enchanted by the beautiful skies and clouds when returning for a visit. There’s something timeless and dramatic about those towering thunderheads massive, powerful clouds that roll in with a deep rumble, drench the earth in a quick burst of rain, and then move on as if nothing happened. On calmer days, great billowing cumulus clouds drift lazily across the sky, unhurried and magnificent, like giant ships sailing through an endless blue sea.

In my younger days working outside in the the relentless Texas summer heat, the cloudbursts would bring a short refreshing cool break to the heat, but in an hour or two there would be no evidence of the downpour.

Here at my current home in the Monterey Bay area, the skies are a little less dramatic. Being close to the Pacific, the skies are usually a non-event. The exception is just after a fall/winter storm, when we get a glimpse of that same grandeur I remember from growing up in Texas.

We had a storm front come through the other day, and during our usual walk among the Marina Dunes, the big cumulus clouds were rolling by.  I couldn’t resist snapping a few photos for later study.  One photo in particular was good, so I submitted it to the local newspaper Monterey Weekly.  To my delight, the very next day it appeared in their daily eNewsletter as the “Photo of the Day.”  You can see it here.

Well, I just had to paint the scene.  Here are a few shots showing the painting as it came together. 

Here is the finished piece. I did take some artistic license, heightening the clouds for a bit more drama. As always, I may tweak it here and there in the future, but for now, I’m calling it done.

Marina Dunes Squall, 22×28, oil on canvas

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Painting Sapporo, Japan

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Many of you know I recently traveled to Sapporo, Japan, for the very special occasion of my son’s wedding. I won’t turn this into a full travelogue, but of course, I couldn’t resist packing my acrylic paints. Between family gatherings, wedding festivities, and endless toasts, my paint kit stayed in the hotel until the final days of our visit when most everyone had left and I could finally sneak away to paint.

Our hotel, by design, was adjacent to Nakajima Park, which is one of my favorite spots in Sapporo.  I’ve painted there a number of times over the years.  Usually, we visit in the spring when cherry blossoms turn the park into a pink paradise. This time, though, it was early autumn. Only a few trees were beginning to show a slight color and most of the landscape still a sea of green. Paintings with mostly green are a challenge for artists, as it is difficult to bring out the variations of color to make a pleasing piece.

I set up in the Japanese Garden and started a piece, but after about half an hour, I was tempted to give up. The composition felt flat and dull. Still, I decided to push through. After over an hour or so, the painting started to come together—still unfinished, but promising. I reluctantly packed up and headed back for more family activities. Here are a few photos from that day.

The next day was rainy and blustery, so couldn’t go out to paint, but the day after that was nicer.  After another hour plus session, I finally think I got a keeper.  Below are some photos.

Here is a quick snapshot of the painting.

BTW, in my recent studies on how AI can improve your paintings, I asked ChatGPT for several examples on how it would paint the scene.  I think I like mine better!

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