More Green Flashes

Last week I spent a few days in Cardiff to paint a very special mural. The story begins about a month ago when Rob Machado reached out to tell me that his close friend Tate Macdowell had sadly passed away from cancer. He shared with me that Tate was inspired by my artwork and that he used watercolor painting as a way to put his mind at ease. I had occasionally chatted with Tate via Instagram about art, techniques and his solo exhibition “Unwasted Time”, something I would have loved to have seen!

Rob asked if I would consider painting my take on Tate’s painting called ‘More Green Flashes’ on his friend Harbir Virk’s 7-Eleven. The stars aligned as I was already traveling to California to help my partner Stephanie who also lost her father to cancer this year.

Painting the mural was very special. Lora, Tate’s wife and their son Wilson came to paint the ocean and we also picked which animals they wanted to be. It was such an honour to paint this mural, I hope that it captures Tate’s original artwork and the message he wanted to share.

About the original artwork from Tate’s wife Lora:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

“This summer, when Tahoe friends were down for their annual camping trip, Tate got a big second wind. We spent long days on the beach and gathered together to watch the sunset most nights. On one night from up on the cliff, we looked out; it was peaceful, the vibe was mellow. Tate said “there’s going to be a green flash tonight.” Some of the group had never seen one before. And sure enough we had the most marvelous green flash and that night we all saw it. Tate captured the scene and our friends campers in a watercolor and sent it to them to commemorate the moment, the way he often did with friends. When he sent the work, he noted that even with all of the garbage, and the struggle, there can always be a green flash. A reminder to stop, and enjoy the magical moments in life.”

Some photos by San Diego Tribune. If you want to check out the article here is a link


jonasclaesson.com/tate/

#moregreenflashes