Pebble Beach Master
The Spectacular Paintings of Van Meger t
B Y M I C H A E L C H AT F I E L D
T
he beauty of the Monterey County stretch of California coastline
is undeniable. Its ever-changing and ever-mesmerizing vistas of
land, sea and sky have inspired artists of literally every discipline,
from sculptors to poets to musicians to painters. And especially painters
like Jerry Van Megert.
"Everywhere I look here, I see a painting," says Van Megert—he signs
his work with his surname and uses it as his professional moniker.
Originally from Oregon, the artist first set foot on the Monterey Peninsula
in 1969, after exploring other well-known West Coast art colonies such
as Laguna Beach and La Jolla.
"I immediately fell in love with the Peninsula. It's beautiful. We have the
ocean and the mountains literally at our fingertips," Van Megert muses. "In
Oregon, you have to travel hundreds of miles to experience both."
From a tender age, Van Megert has known with a lead pipe certainty
what the arc of his career path was going to be. "I started painting when
I was six," he shares.
The Lone Cypress at Pebble Beach is a favorite subject of Van Megert, who lived just down the street for many years.
His depictions of the iconic trees in all kinds of weather are spectacularly dramatic.
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