“At Malibu Creek”: The Painting That Started It All

Every artist has an origin story, a moment when possibility became reality. For me, that moment happened in front of a blank 6"x8" canvas panel with a photograph of Malibu Creek State Park and a box of brand-new art supplies I wasn't entirely sure how to use.

I had just returned from a trip to California, and the landscape had completely captivated me. Everywhere I looked, there was something worth painting: the golden hills, the way the light fell across the terrain, the particular quality of California's atmosphere that feels different from anywhere else. The whole time I was there, I felt this insistent pull to paint, to somehow capture what I was seeing and feeling.

“At Malibu Creek” | 6”x8” | Oil on Canvas Panel

The Leap

I had been wanting to paint for a long time. I'd finally bought materials and signed up for a workshop, taking those first practical steps toward something I'd been thinking about for years. But California wouldn't wait. The inspiration was so strong, so immediate, that when I got home I couldn't help myself. I opened all my new workshop supplies before the class even started and just... began.

I had painted a little in high school, about twenty years earlier, so I had some vague memories of the process floating around in my mind. But mostly, I was figuring it out as I went. I was excited and terrified in equal measure, that particular combination of emotions that comes when you're doing something that matters to you but you're not sure you can actually pull it off.

My partner snapped this candid photo of me painting for the first time. My studio has changed a lot since then - now the walls are completely covered with paintings.

Beginner's Mind

Looking back now, with all the paintings I've created since, I'm still surprised by how well "At Malibu Creek" turned out. It took about 3.5 hours, and somehow, despite my nervousness and lack of confidence, it all worked out. The warm golden tones of the California hills came through, the sense of space and light felt right, and the composition held together.

There's a looseness to this piece that I love, a quality I've realized was actually a product of not knowing how to control my brushstrokes very well. I wasn't deliberately choosing to be loose and expressive. I was just doing my best with limited skill and experience. But that lack of control created something beautiful and refreshing, something spontaneous and alive.

It's funny how that works. Now that I have more experience and better control, I sometimes find myself wishing I could recapture that same looseness, that same freedom. There's a paradox in painting: sometimes knowing less allows you to do more, because you're not second-guessing every decision or worrying about whether you're doing things "correctly."

An Affirming Beginning

More than anything, painting "At Malibu Creek" was an affirming experience. It proved to me that I could do this, that the desire to paint wasn't just a fantasy but something I could actually make real. That first painting gave me permission to keep going, to believe that this could become a practice, maybe even a calling.

Every time I look at this piece, I remember that feeling of opening those art supplies and just starting, of being brave enough to try even when I had no idea what I was doing. I remember the California landscape that inspired me so deeply, and I remember discovering that painting could be a way to hold onto moments and places that move you.

This little 6"x8" painting of Malibu Creek isn't just a landscape. It's a beginning, a door opening, a moment when I decided to trust the pull toward something I'd been wanting for a long time. And I'm so glad I did.

The original piece “At Malibu Creek” has sold, but fine art prints are available.