Art Notes

The central California coast is known for many things – the beauty of the Pacific highway, the quaint village feel of Carmel, and the historical importance of the Monterey fishing enclave. But even when shadowed by so many wonderful man-made attractions, it is the flora and fauna of the area that cause visitors to flock here. Cypress trees, grey whales, and tide pools abound for the viewer’s examination.

And then there are the otters. These adorable sea mammals play and swim and bound about the rocks, seemingly without a care in the world. I have painted otters many times, and each time I do, I walk away satisfied with the effort and smiling at its experience. I hope these mischievous “critters” give you the same sense of warm delight. If you ever have the opportunity, please visit the Monterey Bay, you will absolutely have an otterly good time. As always, I thank you for sharing my adventure in art.

Key Points

• Rockin’ Otters is part of Zac Kinkade’s Animal Accents collection, a series that captures playful and sometimes whimsical moments from the Great Outdoors.
• Zac Kinkade enjoys painting sea otters, and his first Limited Edition Art release capturing these adorable creatures and their antics is titled Otterly Ridiculous.
• The Southern sea otters, or California sea otters, are an endangered species with approximately 3,000 in existence between the coast of Santa Barbara and San Mateo counties in 2022, the year of Rockin’ Otters publication.
• Did you know that a group of otters resting together is called a raft?