Emily Jung Miller

This month, I spent a week traveling and painting along the Oregon coast with my good friend from Kauai, pastel and oil painter Helen Turner. We painted in beautiful locations from Cannon Beach all the way down to Port Orford, with the goal of visiting all Oregon’s coastal lighthouses.

We saw gray whales feeding just off the coast of Yaquina Head Lighthouse, fog on the massive sand dunes north of Umpqua River Lighthouse, and golden afternoon light on the towering sea stacks in Bandon, near the Coquille River Light. I produced twelve new plein air watercolors, plus dozens of reference photos for future studio paintings. Check out the twelve plein airs below!

Cannon Beach from Ecola State Park

Haystack Rock and Tillamook Rock Lighthouse

Fog at Devil’s Kitchen

Golden Sunset, Bandon

North from Cape Blanco

Coquille River Lighthouse, Bandon

Evening at Lake Marie

Fog at Neptune Beach North

Sea Stacks at Siletz Bay

Yaquina Bay Dunes

Yaquina Head Lighthouse from Cobble Beach

Cape Meares sea cliff

Plein air painting allows me to slow down and focus on the mood of a place, providing an opportunity to study shifting details of color, light and weather over time. It is both a challenging and meditative experience that creates a stronger bond with the location. I am more in love with the Oregon coast than ever, and I can’t wait to get started on new artwork inspired by our journey.