North Main Beach, Laguna Beach - thread painting by fiber artist Loretta Alvarado

California Coastal Series

North Main Beach

This work-in-progress photo shows the sky, sun, and beach completed while the rest of the piece was still waiting to come to life.

One of my favorite parts of creating thread paintings is blending the sun into the sky. It requires careful planning, countless thread changes, and a lot of patience to create a smooth transition of color.

But if I had to choose my favorite part of this piece, it would be the umbrellas. Those little pops of color scattered across the beach bring the scene to life and always make me smile.

My husband and I decided to play tourist one day and spend the afternoon exploring Laguna Beach. It was a beautiful early fall day, and the beach was filled with people enjoying the sunshine and the water.

I took quite a few photographs that day, but this one kept calling me back. It captures the view looking northwest toward the gazebo in Heisler Park from the pathway above North Main Beach.

Sometimes a photograph simply stays with you until it becomes a piece of art.