I recently completed this batch of fun illustrations for Orange Coast Magazine out in Orange County, California. These were for the magazine’s summer beach guide, and the series of articles offered lots of tips for how to achieve “Beach Bliss”, such as:

• proper surfing etiquette
• how to score a fire pit
• how to ensure parking karma
• how to change at your car
• how to deal with dirty beach bathrooms

The lifeguard drawing ran with an open letter from a lifeguard to parents about some of the things to keep in mind when bringing your kids to the beach. Art direction by Mindy Benham.

To the best of my knowledge, these are the last pictures I shot on 35mm film. When we were living in Los Angeles back in 2003, I grabbed my trusty Yashica T* loaded up with black and white film, and Julie and I set off to explore the haunting Salton Sea area, about 60 miles to the south-east of Palm Springs.
We had heard it was an interesting place to visit, but we weren’t prepared for the things we would see: An artificial mountain built of mud, paint and car tires as a monument to God’s love (Salvation Mountain), entire neighborhoods, buildings and vehicles devoured by pink alkaline slurry, sulfurous boiling mudpots, defunct hotels from the 1950’s heydays and a dead, smelly sea.
If you are ever in the area, be sure to make time for a visit.