Laguna Watchstander - Framed Original

5x7 Acrylic on gesso primed panel

Frame size: 12.5"x10"

Story behind the painting:

A few days before our trip to Colorado, my nephew Jacob Hofauer and I spent a quiet morning fishing on the Laguna. As we pulled back into Laguna Marina & Storage worn out from our catches, we were met by a familiar sight. But for some reason, it hit me differently that day.

Standing silently by the cleaning table, like a watch stander of the dock, was a great white egret. It didn’t flinch or take flight. It simply watched us. Calm, welcoming and still as if it had been waiting for us. Something about its presence spoke to me. There was a quiet power in that moment that I knew I had to capture.

While on the road to Colorado, I sketched it from my memory of it all and a quick photo I had taken. Yesterday, I finally painted it. The result is “Laguna Watchstander” a tribute to those quiet, beautiful welcome home moments in nature that stay with you long after they’ve passed.

If you’d like to bring this coastal guardian into your home, business, or office and let its calmness and welcoming vibes remind you of the wild stillness that waits just beyond the dock.