Birds on Beach Triptych ~ Neil Cohn, Tilburg, The Netherlands 2016 • 108 x 48

I’ve lived in a coastal city most of my life, and the beach has given me serenity, inspiration, and awe. This fundraising project is my way of thanking the oceans for their beauty. By August, 2022 we reached our initial goal of $10,000 from donors who appreciate my artwork. In September, I offered 25 paintings in exchange for donations to the Ocean Conservancy through this fundraising page.

UPDATES AND PAINTINGS OWNED BY DONORS:

FINAL UPDATE: December 26, 2022

THANKS once again to all of my painting enthusiasts who supported this project. More than 50 people donated $13,617 to the Ocean Conservancy from this page. Their contributions exceeded the goal I set at the beginning of the year by 36%, which led to our status as "Top Individual Fundraiser" for Ocean Conservancy Peer-to-Peer Fundraising. To follow my future painting projects, visit LeighPaintings.com.

UPDATE: December 23, 2022

Had a great slumber party with my friend Stuart and his 7-year-old twins, who came to Carlsbad to pick up this painting and make a donation. As the fundraiser winds down at the end of the year, I am incredibly grateful to everyone who has contributed. More to come?!

Stu and the Twins at the Grand Canyon ~ Stuart Murray, Los Angeles, CA (2022) 24 x 18

UPDATE: November 1, 2022

Thanks Cousin Anonymous for the generous donation. Enjoy this sunset painting:

Sunset at Warm Waters (2022) 28 x 22

UPDATE: October 3, 2022

Thanks to Beth, who has been a great supporter of my artwork even though we have never met. Here's the painting she received for her donation to the Ocean Conservancy:

Pond in Tilburg, NL Beth Sweltzer, Scarborough, ME (2022) 24 x 18

UPDATE: October 3, 2022

Special thanks to my friend Arnold for another generous donation to the Ocean Conservancy, which he made in exchange for this small painting:

Swan Boats at Snug Harbor ~ Arnold Andersen, Iowa City, IA 2021 • 20 x 16

UPDATE: September 30, 2022

More paintings requested for donations:

Breakfast at Low Tide 2022 • 24 x 12

Shorebirds #1 (2022) 20 x 16

Agua Hedionda 2021 • 28 x 22

Pandemic Calm (#11) 2020 • 28 x 22

UPDATE: September 28, 2022

The painting fundraiser was a big success. Several paintings were requested, and I am in the process of distributing them and receiving donations to this page. 

Here are a few examples of paintings requested by people who made donations, so far:

Surfers at Terramar Beach, Carlsbad 2021 • 72 x 48

Breakfast at Low Tide 2022 • 24 x 12

Egret & Great Blue Heron Triptych 2022 • 42.5 x 26 framed

Pelicans at Moonlight Beach (2022) 24 x 18

ANNOUNCEMENT: July 14, 2022

From September 20–25, I will be offering 25 paintings at LeighPaintings.com in exchange for donations at this Ocean Conservancy fundraising page. This is NOT AN AUCTION, but each painting will have a suggested donation range, with amounts from $35 to $5,000. I will pay shipping costs (up to $300 per package) and send out another announcement on September 20th to my subscribers. Sign up at LeighPaintings.com (bottom of any page).

Update: July 14, 2022

Mindy, thanks for putting us over the top for our initial goal of $10,000! Here's your elephant picture, mentioned in your comments below. I also appreciated hearing about your love of the ocean. Thanks for the support!

Update: July 14, 2022

With the recent donation by my local friends Steve & Dee, our fundraiser is within a few bucks of the $10,000 goal for the whole year! I'm hoping that my September "give away" offer (with donation to the Ocean Conservancy) of more than 20 paintings will propel this project to even further success. Here's one of the paintings that will become available:

Saint Malo Beach, Carlsbad 2021 • 72 x 48

Update: July 2, 2022

My wife Lindsey and I were recently in The Netherlands visiting our son Neil and his fiancé, Maaike. We went to her parents' home for dinner, where on the living room wall was the following picture, which I asked Neil to give to them a few years ago. Besides a fabulous meal, Jan and Bea also made a kind donation to this fundraiser.

Heeze Moat #1 ~ From Neil's photo 2016 • 16 x 20

Update: June 18, 2022

Thanks to my poet friend Gerry Connolly for today's donation, which brought us very close to our initial goal of $10,000—with six months still to go! Here's a picture of the Swan River I gave to Gerry and her husband Steve when they lived in Montana:

On the Swan River #1 ~ Steve and Gerry Connolly, Big Fork, MT 2009 • 24 x 18

Update: June 8, 2022

Celebrate World Ocean Day Today!

Here's my tribute, a 3-foot wide triptych I finished a few days ago that I'll be offering in September:

I wrote to my mailing list to tell them that today is World Ocean Day and simply asked them to "think about the importance of having healthy oceans." Nonetheless, quite a few have made donations, including Russell Marx who I owe a painting to and hope to see soon, Larry Wetzler who is giving a Chopin concert this weekend to benefit Ukrainian refugees, and a couple of people—my son Charlie's friend Aaron Null and my late sister's best friend, Leslie Simon—to whom I have given paintings that are shown below. I'm also including a couple of paintings owned by anonymous friends (according to my wife Lindsey). Thanks everyone!

 Amsterdam Blue Boat ~ Sage Schaan from Leslie Simon, San Francisco, CA 2017 • 14 x 18

Water Lilies Triptych ~ Aaron Null, San Diego, CA 2017 • 108 x 48

Oceanside Pier ~  2011 • 24 x 12

Rocks and Wave ~  2011 • 24 x 12

Update: June 6, 2022

The donations keep coming in, and now we've raised more than $9,000 for the Ocean Conservancy! Thanks to my dear friends who are more like family—Greg, Cindy, and Afton—for your support. In 2012 we all went to Paris together, and I later gave them this painting:

Cows at Argenteuil ~ Cynthia Copeland & Greg Spiegal. Pasadena, CA 2012 • 24 x 12

Also, earlier this year, I gave the following painting to Afton, who deeply loves the Dodgers. This celebration of their World Series win in 2020 is directly related to a similar painting I did of the White Sox winning in 2005, the year she was born!

Dodgers Win 2020 World Series 2021 • 18 x 24

Update: May 31, 2022

Thanks to Jim and Bonnie Hall for their donation. Carlsbad locals we've known for more than 20 years, they have this painting hanging in their bedroom. 

Venice, CA Canal #3 ~ Bonnie Hall, Carlsbad, CA 2014 • 24 x 12

Update: May 27, 2022

My dear ocean-loving friend and former colleague, Carolyn Costin, donated today bringing the total raised to almost $9,000. Wow! She is a brilliant therapist, author, and expert on eating disorders and related topics. She's also a wonderful watercolor painter. These three panels (below) that I gave her 2009 were the centerpiece of my "Impermanence" project:

https://leighpaintings.com/all-themes/esoteric-themes/impermanence-rock-sculptures/

Impermanence: The Rock Sculptures ~ Carolyn Costin, Malibu, CA 2009 • 3 panels • 72 x 48

Update: May 25, 2022

Thanks to Arnold Andersen for a very generous donation. He and I collaborated on various books and a peer review journal for more than 25 years, and I remember showing him photos of my earliest paintings in the late 1990s. He was kind and enthusiastic and has remained one of my biggest supporters. He owns paintings of Paris and Venice, CA that I did several years ago, and he also will be receiving this one: 

Gondolas & Giorgio Maggiore (#3) 2020 • 28 x 22

Update: May 24, 2022

After I sent my list of followers an email today about how successful this fundraiser was in its first week, the donations picked up again. I guess people liked my statement about Anonymous (see March 20 below), because a bunch of nameless contributions were made, as well as some with names...

Here's a painting I gave to one Anonymous donor about ten years ago (I was able to figure out who they were even though I didn't see their name):

Montana Hay Rolls ~  2011 • 48 x 24

Thanks to John Pacheco, who has been my son Neil's close friend and confidant since second grade. When they turned thirty, we joined them and John's husband Dave on a trip to Hawaii:

Kaanapali Beach  ~  John Pacheco & Dave Bronner, San Francisco, CA
2010 • 36 x 18

Also, thanks to my dear Laurel Eastman. She owns LEK Kiteboarding School in Cabarete, Dominican Republic, and after visiting there fifteen years ago, I painted this picture of her beach:

Cabarete Beach ~ Laurel Eastman, Dominican Republic 2007 • 24x48

Update: May 23, 2022

THANKS!! Week One was a staggering success! Donations totaled over $7,000—ranging from $15 to $1,500—from friends, family, and anonymous donors. Over the next few months, I will continue painting and spreading the word; and, in September, more than 20 pictures will be offered. Stay tuned for updates!

Update: May 20, 2022

The most recent donations were from "Anonymous." I kind of think of "Anonymous" as representing all of the people on my mailing list whose names aren't listed as donors. So, thanks everyone for supporting my project. Since I can't post a painting by you, here's one that Lindsey, Cozy, and I have hanging in our bedroom: 

Cozy at the Beach ~ 2014 • 30 x 24

Update: May 19, 2022

Wow! In the first three days since this project launched, we've already raised more than $6,500. This morning's donations were all from people who have my paintings—and one who I just helped make a 2-minute video about processing grief. Read on…

When a loved one died, my "god-daughter" processed her grief by creating ceramic hearts that she spreads around and gives away. Each one is filled with beauty and symbolism, and this "Little Heart Movie" is inspiring to anyone who has lost someone dear to them. 

I edited and scored this short treasure, which can be viewed at my LeighPaintingsYouTube page.  Here's an example of the hearts, followed by one of my paintings that she owns.

Watch "Hearts 4 Matt" on YouTube

Water Lilies in Balboa Park #4 ~ 2019 • 24 x 18

My son Charlie has always been a big supporter of my painting. Not only has he had them up in his various homes over the years, but he has also widely spread the word about my work, and; subsequently, many of his friends have my paintings.

During his last years studying and playing Ultimate at UCSB, Charlie lived on the ocean with a bunch of other guys. I slept there a couple of times, waking up with ocean outside my door—wondrous. I painted this portrait of him when he lived there, which he displayed in the living room much to his friends' amazement:

 Black Tide ~ Charlie Cohn, Santa Barbara, CA 2005 • 48 x 36

My former colleague Mary Stein is one of my most enthusiastic supporters. She never misses a blog post or fails to compliment my artwork. She is a dear friend and has one of my best waterless paintings:

Relais de l’Entrecôte ~ Mary Stein, Tucson, AZ 2012 • 18 x 36

Update: May 18, 2022

The morning donations have started coming in, and thanks to anonymous (again!), my cousin Danny, and old friend Dean.

I recently visited Dean and his wife Maureen, and he played two lovely, original compositions on piano. On the wall in an ornate gold frame was my picture from Paris. High culture!

Seine at Night ~ Dean Forman, Palm Desert, CA 2012 • 24 x 12

Update: May 17, 2022

Within an hour of sending out today's announcement about the project, we received $1,383.90 in donations. That was exciting! Now, I'm waiting for more and will report on them later. Among the donors was my old friend Dorothy Elchoness, who doesn't have one of my pictures, and an anonymous person. I'm posting some paintings owned by the other morning donors:

When my Carlsbad buddy, Pete, picked up this "Shorebirds" (study), I told him about my early, vague ideas about doing a fundraiser for our oceans. He said he'd definitely donate, and sure enough, a few minutes after the mailing went out I was notified of his generous contribution. My latest blog article explains how this painting led to Pam's commission 

My dear friends Michael and Jordonna Dores own at least six of my paintings. This one is definitely a favorite:

Heart Tree on Swan River ~ Michael & Jordonna Dores, Bigfork, MT 2007 • 40 x 30

I was thrilled to see the donation made by oceanographer Mattias Cape, who I met when he was a high school friend of my son Charlie. His website reveals field research in Antartica, Greenland, New Zealand, and Alaska and a passionate career investigating our oceans. I feel so flattered that he would donate to this project! I gave him this painting of his favorite local beach:  

Terramar Tide Pools ~ Mattias Cape, Seatle, WA 2018 • 24 x 12

Update: May 16, 2022

I've just launched the project and the donations are already coming in. One was from my son Neil, whose triptych (above) inspired Pam (see May 10) and helped me come up with this fundraising idea. He has several of my paintings, including this one he got while in graduate school in Boston:

Boaters Coming in at Sunset ~ Neil Cohn, Boston, MA 2008 24x48

Thanks for your donation from The Netherlands, Maaike. Here's the painting of your hometown:

This next painting is one of my wife Lindsey's favorites. Thanks for the donation, dear!

Sapa, Vietnam ~ 2008 • 36 x 48

Update: May 10, 2022

Pam Whitfield just donated $1,500 to the Ocean Conservancy and wrote some beautiful comments (below) about our collaboration on "Pam's Terns"

"Pam's Terns" – a diptych (2022)  Pamela Whitfield, San Diego  •  96 x 36

In a week or two, I will be blogging about this project and how Pam gave me the idea. Sign up at LeighPaintings.com for more information.

Update: April 23, 2022

I haven't launch this project yet, but when I told my artist friend Katie about it, she immediately made a donation without telling me. When I found out, I told her she could have any of the finished paintings I had on hand, and she picked this one:

"Covid Fog" (2020) Katie Herzog, Parkfield, CA  •  28 x 22