About Carey Caulfield - Santa Barbara, California Artist
Where the Canvas Meets the Coast
There's a particular quality of light in Santa Barbara that I've never found anywhere else.
Warm and golden in the morning. Brilliant midday clarity. And then — the most extraordinary pinks and corals at dusk.
That light is what pulled me outside with my easel. And it's what keeps me coming back, day after day.
My painting life isn't lived in a pristine gallery. It's lived in paint-stained jeans, with a palette knife in one hand and a coffee in the other, standing at the edge of the pier while the sea breeze tries its best to knock over my canvas.
Messy, joyful, and completely mine.
My Creative Process
Every painting begins with a feeling — not a plan.
I'll be walking along the waterfront or driving past the Mission and something will stop me. A shadow falling across a wall. The way bougainvillea spills over a white stucco fence. The reflection of boat masts in still harbor water.
I reach for my phone to capture a reference — and then I can't wait to get back to the studio.
I work primarily in acrylics. They're fast, forgiving, and endlessly layerable. I'll often start with a loose, gestural underpainting in bold color, then build up texture and detail from there.
I love the moment when a painting "clicks" — when the colors start singing together and the scene comes alive on the canvas.
For plein air work, I simplify. I'm not trying to capture every detail — I'm trying to capture the feeling of being there. The warmth of the sun on the pavement. The rhythm of the waves. The particular blue of the Santa Barbara sky.
Painting in Santa Barbara
Studio Life
My studio started as a sliver of garage space during the pandemic — just enough room for a folding table, a few tubes of paint, and a whole lot of ambition.
It's grown since then, but the spirit is the same: a place to make a mess, experiment freely, and lose track of time in the best possible way.
On a typical studio day, I'll have three or four paintings going at once. While one layer dries, I'm working on another. Music is always on. My sketchbook is nearby. Reference photos are pinned up everywhere.
The studio is also where I prep for paint parties — mixing colors, cutting canvases, laying out supplies. There's something I love about that prep work too. It's the quiet before the creative storm.
Behind the scenes in the studio
Painting Outside — Plein Air in Santa Barbara
Some of my favorite paintings have been made standing at the edge of Stearns Wharf, tucked into a corner of the Santa Barbara Pier, or set up in front of the Mission on a Tuesday morning before the tourists arrive.
Plein air painting is humbling and exhilarating in equal measure.
You can't control the light — it changes every twenty minutes. You can't control the wind, or the curious dog that sniffs your palette, or the child who asks if you're "a real artist."
(Yes. Yes, I am.)
What you can do is stay present, stay loose, and let the place paint itself through you.
Plein air at Stearns Wharf
Painting on the Santa Barbara Pier — August 2024
Behind the Scenes — Events & Live Painting
One of the most electric experiences in my painting life is live painting at events.
There's something magical about creating in front of an audience — the energy in the room feeds the work, and watching a painting emerge in real time seems to delight people in a way that a finished piece on a wall never quite does.
I've painted live at CrossHatch Winery in Santa Ynez, at markets and festivals around Santa Barbara, and at private events. Each one is different. Each one pushes me to paint with more confidence and spontaneity than I might in the quiet of the studio.
Live painting at CrossHatch Winery, Santa Ynez — October 2023
Mosaic Makers Market — December 2024
What Painting Has Taught Me
After more than 20 years in tech — product management, startups, Silicon Valley — painting has taught me to slow down and trust the process.
In tech, you're always optimizing, always measuring. In painting, sometimes the "mistake" is the best thing that ever happened to the canvas.
Painting has also taught me to see differently. I notice light and shadow now in a way I never did before. I see color in the shadows (it's never just gray). I see negative space. I see the world as shapes and relationships rather than objects with names.
It's a gift I didn't expect.
Most of all, painting has taught me that creativity is a practice, not a talent. You show up. You make the work. Some days it flows; some days it fights you. But you keep going — because the next painting might be the one that surprises you.
Where to Find My Art
You can find my work at my favorite local shops, hotels, wineries, and galleries:
- Santa Barbara Airport Gift Shop
- Educated Car Wash, Santa Barbara
- Chaucers Bookstore
- Santa Barbara Public Library — 2025 Library Card features my artwork
- Courtyard by Marriott, Goleta
- Residence Inn, Goleta
- Harbor View Inn, Santa Barbara
- CrossHatch Winery
- Kids Cuts Hair Salon
- Santa Barbara Gift Baskets
- Bree'osh Bakery
- And painting with my easel all over town!
Winning the Santa Barbara Library's Choice Award — November 2024
Art Collector Joan buying a piece that spoke to her
Follow Along
I share behind-the-scenes moments, works in progress, and finished pieces regularly on Instagram. It's the best place to see my painting life in real time — the messy middle, the happy accidents, and the pieces I'm most proud of.
Follow me @careycaulfield for a daily dose of color, coast, and creativity.
Curious about paint parties, commissions, or just want to say hello? Reach out anytime — my inbox is always open.