“Marine Labs”

One of my best friends growing up, FJ Anderson, was raised in a beautiful A-Frame house overlooking Sunny Cove. It was a place where kids like myself could congregate by the dozens to surf, shoot pool, drink endless sodas provided by his parents Buzz and Jenny, and lob water balloons at unsuspecting sun-worshipers relaxing on the sand. The Anderson household was truly the ultimate seaside clubhouse.

As time went on, Anderson evolved into a highly gifted artist, under the tutelage of Shoreline Middle School art teacher Mark Marengo. It was clear, even in those early days, that Anderson had what it took to take his gift to the next level. 

Anderson’s room, located on second floor of his beachfront home, had a balcony that provided the perfect vantage point to take in the beauty of the ever-changing moods of the sea, which has undoubtedly inspired his artistry. This private portal to the sea instilled in Anderson a strong desire to create art that reflected its beauty.

After studying Scientific Illustration at UCSC, Anderson embarked on a career as a full-time painter, with his primary subject matter being, you guessed it, the ocean. His ability to produce hyper-realistic oil paintings of waves and coastal vistas has made him a standout in the talent-saturated pool of celebrated local artists. 

What’s even more impressive, is that he takes all of his reference photos himself. Whether it be in the water amongst the chaos of lurching barrels or from the safety of the sand, his eye for the dramatic has birthed some truly unique artwork. His current project, a series of moody storm-surf scenes, expertly captures the majestic essence of an angry ocean in motion.

Here’s what he had to say about one of these mesmerizing masterpieces, taken just mere miles from that storied balcony that started it all.

Currently, I’ve got three different ongoing series of work that I’m working on. This one comes from the series in which I provide viewers a perspective of stormy ocean vistas from the vantage point of the shore. I’ve always loved big storms growing up and still do today. I was able to get some good reference photos over the past couple winters and this comes from one of my favorites. 

The vibe I’m trying to evoke here is one of, “calm amidst the chaos”. With paintings like this one, I want the viewer to feel a deep appreciation of the ocean at its angriest, and to find the beauty in its limitless power.

I’m quite pleased with it so far, but still have a long way to go. Every painting goes through an “ugly stage”, and I think i’m past that part–hopefully (laughs). Now, it’s simply a matter of building up layers to get the depth and lighting just right

While working on “Marine Labs”, I’ve been listening to a lot of instrumental music. It seems to keep me focused and gets meinto a flow/trance state. It’s nice to go into to autopilot, and these tunes help me not think about anything besides what I’m working on at that moment.

My process starts by taking a ton of photos from both the ocean and shore. I’m always ready to run to the end of the road to snap some shots during a storm or when the lighting shifts. Once I narrow them down to a cohesive series, I’ll start them all at one. I’ll sketch it out with either pencil or just paint then do multiple layers, working thinner and thinner, glazing over the top. 

I’d say the most enjoyable part of working on a series of paintings like this is seeing the finished product, hanging them up, and seeing them all together for a cohesive show for the public to enjoy

I feel extremely fortunate to have grown up by the ocean, surrounded by creative friends and family. You can see more work at www.fjartwork.com. Come say hi, and see my work in person at the Capitola Art Wine Festival and at my childhood home during Open Studios this October!