The subject of this painting is a rock out crop known as Devil's Gate.  It is on one of the few places where there is public access to an area known as the Lost Coast.  The Mattole River Valley runs to the east and Fort Bragg is to the South.  In-between are the Kings range, and a stretch of beach that is only accessible by backpacking or traversing large tracts of private land.   It is remote and wild.

This particular day was a very clear, even warm, winter day with a very light breeze.  I had no need for my customary weight to hold my easel down.  Usually, the wind pushes against one and the fog and mist are cast a dampness over all.  The sunny day, gives this painting a clear and cheerful feeling, but still shows the austerity of the constant cleaning by storm and wind.

The frame is made of weathered fence boards that were milled from Doug Fir trees right in the Mattole Valley, in the lost coast region.  I really like that the frame is indigenous to the area inland from the subject of the painting.  My husband grew up in the Mattole and still works, building fences and doing some ranch work.  When he replaced these boards, he could envision the wonderful frames he would make from them.