Bolsa Chica Wetlands

5 3/8 inches height X 7.5 inches width

140 lb cold pressed watercolour paper by Artistico Fabriano

This might be one of my favorite landscape pieces. Bolsa Chica Wetlands a sacred space of nature near my home in Huntington Beach, California. I’ve had many spiritual experience on these trails since 2015. I took a picture on my phone and used it to create this piece.

The Bolsa Chica Wetlands are remnants of a once-extensive marshland. The freshwater of Freeman Creek, a tributary of the Santa Ana River, flowed into the marshes, meeting water from the Pacific Ocean, and creating a brackish environment.

This beautiful estuary was home to ancestors of Native Americans as far back as 9,000 years ago, who likely migrated across the Bering Land Bridge. Unfortunately, not much is known about these early inhabitants due to destruction of archaeological sites due to flooding and human activities.