Donald Neff

Thuban Rock

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Tor House in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, is a historic stone home built by poet Robinson Jeffers and his wife Una beginning in 1919 on a windswept promontory at Carmel Point. Using granite boulders hauled from the nearby shore, Jeffers, working as an apprentice stonemason constructed the original cottage, completed around 1924, and later Hawk Tower, a Celtic-inspired structure overlooking the Pacific. Named for the craggy “tor” (knoll) on which it stands, the house served as both a family refuge and the place where Jeffers composed nearly all his major poetic works, inspired by the rugged coastal landscape.

Yesterday (Sunday) I was invited, along with three other Monterey Bay Plein Air Artist members to paint while the Tor House Foundation held a garden party.  Although having driven by the Tor House many times but never been inside, it was quite a treat to participate in the event!

Here’s a few pictures of the Tor House…

We arrived a little before the party started, and after looking over all the property, we all settled in a spot to paint.  Some of my fellow artists painting…

I am mostly a scenery type artist, but also wanted to include a bit of the old stone buildings, so picked a spot out of the way showing just the edge of the house and a large boulder. It also had a view of the Pacific Ocean with Point Lobos in the far background…perfect!  A few shots of me painting. (Some photos complimentary of Jackie Bleisch.)

The party was well attended and quite lively with bagpipes, chamber orchestra, and other delights! Click on the videos to enjoy the music…

While I was busy laying paint to canvas, one of the docents came over and told me I was painting a historic rock.  The Thuban Rock is the massive granite cornerstone of the house that Jeffers incorporated deep into the structure while building his home. Jeffers addressed this ancient stone in his poem “To the Rock That Will Be a Cornerstone of the House,”   Long before Jeffers built Tor House, however, this site is believed to have been a sacred place for Native American peoples of the region.

The grey morning turned into nice sunshine, and I used some artistic license to make the lighting a little more dramatic and moved the bushes a bit.

After about three hours of painting, it was turning out rather well, so I stopped. Generally these plein air pieces reach a point that if you keep going, you may start to ruin the freshness of the moment.  It was also getting windy and cold! I had a number of inquiries about purchasing the piece all afternoon as it was developing.  Coming prepared, I framed it, and it was purchased by one of the docents of the Foundation! 

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Point of the Sea Wolves

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Point Lobos has always been a special place. Spanish explorers called it “Point of the Sea Wolves” hearing the cries of the sea lions echoing off the cliffs. From the late 19th century on, it became a magnet for artists seeking its raw, untamed beauty. Landscape artist Francis McComas famously called it “the greatest meeting of land and sea in the world.” Photographers like Edward Weston and Ansel Adams also returned again and again, creating iconic images of the twisted cypress trees, wave-worn rocks, and crystalline tide pools. It became one of California’s first state reserves in 1933, preserving this wild sanctuary for future generations of artists and visitors. 

There’s something profoundly satisfying about painting en plein air.    I tell passersby I do it as much for the excuse to just sit there for several hours, feeling the breeze on your face, watching the light change minute by minute, and in this case, listen to the crashing waves, seagulls, and barking sea lions.

Wednesday was one of those perfect California coastal days, so I joined the Monterey Bay Plein Air Painters at Weston Beach in the Preserve.  Trying to get there early, fighting the slow rush hour traffic down the coast (yes, the Monterey area does have rush hour traffic!), I finally arrived at the preserve about a half hour after it opened.    By then, the parking areas were almost full!!  It was a busy day at the preserve with families, hikers, and nature lovers filling the trails and viewpoints, making the most of this glorious weather, and one fellow artist reminded me it was still spring break time for the local schools!

I only saw about three other artists painting. My guess is the park filled up so fast, many might have been turned away and had to go to other points along the beautiful California coastline. (Note to Al: perhaps schedule Pt Lobos more during off season and especially not during spring break!)

I had determined to try to get a ‘show worthy’ painting done.  Spending about 2 1/2 hours, here is the piece as I finished for the day. I think this one is definitely a keeper.

untitled, 11×14, oil on board

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Extreme Plein Air: The Pinnacle of Success

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I finally pulled it off and the secret’s out! I’ve dreamed for years of painting from this spot, simply because it’s so wildly unique. As far as I know, no one has ever set up an easel here before. In fact, only a handful of people have even seen this view, let alone tried to capture it on canvas. It took years of training and preparation for this mid 70 year old to accomplish it, but I have finally achieved it!

Take a moment to watch the short video and follow the adventure. Be sure to turn the sound up and watch to the end!

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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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