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Salinas Valley Painter Deftly Captures California Landscapes B Y D A V I D A R M S T R O N G M iguel Dominguez always knew he'd be an artist someday, he just didn't know when. "It's an innate desire,'' says the painter, who grew up in the Salinas Valley nurturing a love of open spaces. After studying art at Hartnell College and landscape design at Cal Poly, he took the plunge at age 30. "We were expecting the first of our two sons. What a fine time to become an artist,'' he laughs. Dominguez, now well-established, is best- known for evocative watercolor paintings. An Old School artist in the best sense, he sketches in pencil and also paints in acrylics and oils. He ranges from Mendocino to San Luis Obispo in search of landscapes, shorelines and skies, but his favorite is Point Lobos. "Everywhere there, you see a painting,'' he says. Few capture coastal California's craggy, misty beauty so well. Dominguez possesses a keen eye for perspective and detail and a delicate touch for brushwork. He is very good with silence. To behold a wintery Dominguez mead- ow with bare trees, rust-colored grasses and skittering waterfowl is to inhabit the quiet heart of the meadow. Miguel Dominguez is regularly exhibited at the Carmel Art Association Gallery, located on Dolores btwn. 5th & 6th in Carmel. 831/624-6176 or www.carmelart.org. SHORTCUTS ART Miguel Dominguez showcases his paintings at the Carmel Art Association. Although he travels throughout the state for his subject matter, Point Lobos is his favorite spot. 64 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 1 7 Photo: Kelli Uldall