In November 2019, Morro Bay artist Ardella Swanberg finished painting “Harbor Storm.” 

"I had been thinking about it since January when, like everyone else in Morro Bay, I went down to Morro Rock to watch the waves crash over the breakwater. The Harbor Patrol was out in one of their boats, monitoring the mouth of the harbor. I took several photos of them in rough water. It was very scary to watch, but four or five of the Harbor Patrol members stood calmly as the boat bounced up and down on the waves. I thought about it until November and decided to paint the scene to enter it in the Central Coast Watercolor Society 2020 Aquarius Show. 

You may think that those are mountains behind the waves, but it is the breakwater across the Bay. I exaggerated the rocks for the composition. I sent a photo of the painting a few days ahead of the deadline. I was thrilled when it was not only accepted but chosen for the front of the brochure. And thrilled again when it received the Chris Van Winkle Memorial Award."

About the Artist Ardella Swanberg

I am a native Californian, although I have lived most of my life in other places:  Texas, Minnesota, Michigan, Spain, Florida, North Carolina, Maryland, and Malaysia.  We have lived in small towns, bustling cities, and out in the country. In 1998 we moved onto a 1000 acre ranch in Cayucos to be near family and enjoy the country life. We moved to Morro Bay in 2015.

I studied art education at the University of Minnesota. It rains in Minnesota. I remember stepping off the plane into a sauna and what seemed to be a rain forest after Southern California's desert climate.

I am active in local art associations (Cayucos Art Association, Central Coast Watercolor Society, Morro Bay Art Association, the Gallery at Marina Square, and Wednesday Irregulars), ham radio (Estero Radio Club, SLO Emergency Communications Council), and CERT (Citizens Emergency Response Team).  My interests are painting and drawing, art journaling, women artists, art history, reading, genealogy, rocks, walking, making dolls, and cooking (well, not so much anymore).  I teach beginning watercolor at Art Central from time to time.  I speak some Spanish and wish I knew many more languages.  There is only so much time in one life, though.

We own a dog that has herding ancestry and keeps us together and on time.   I don’t enjoy walking with him because he has his own ideas of what is interesting.  He is a nice companion at home.  When we lived on the ranch, I documented all the birds that came to my feeder and all the wildflowers in the spring.  I painted and drew the oak trees and vistas of Estero Bay.

You can see my paintings at Art Central in San Luis Obispo, the Gallery at Marina Square in Morro Bay, and at the Morro Bay Art Center.