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Posted on 7/17/2026 11:52:57 AM
By Micaiah Hardison
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When a property owner contacted me to paint a mural on his apartment building in Leucadia I thought it was a perfect match for me. My grandpa owned a home about 100ft away on Vulcan Avenue, which he had bought for $12,000 in the mid-60s.
My mother spent her childhood there before he sold it in the early 70s when Leucadia got ‘too crowded’ for him. It was later torn down to make room for an apartment building, the usual story. I grew up three blocks away in a small rental on the beach where my mother lived for about 35 years. In my teens I did surfboard ding repair up the street in a bootleg shop on a 1-acre property, next to a half pipe, in the shade of avocado trees. I remember the smell of resin and the sound of Bad Brains cassettes rattling the boom box.
My first concept for the mural was to plagiarize Bill Ogden’s ‘Forgotten Island of Santosha’ poster art and translate the imagery into Leucadian. I did a rough sketch in pencil and thought it was worth pursuing a painted composition, but the client’s wife did not like the idea.
My next idea was to dig deep into the Greek connection of Leucadia, which was named after the island of Lefkada due to the similar high bluffs towering over the shore. I had already been planning to create a painting based on the tragedy of the poet Sappho, having traveled to Lefkada to shoot photo references of the same cliffs that she had hurled herself from to end the pain of a broken heart.
The next step was to hire a young olive skinned model to free-fall from my balcony down to a trampoline while I shot reference photos from above. I even had a Greek lyre in my Etsy shopping cart to use as a prop.
The client ignored my proposed concept but was clearly inspired by the Greek theme, leapfrogging with a text message: “It’s on Hermes street, maybe Hermes surfing at Ponto?”
“Love it!” I quickly responded, and immediately ordered a small bronze sculpture of Hermes aka Olympus.
The timeline was short to complete the mural; the client wanted it done ASAP so he could start using it for marketing. I spent the next few days in my studio working on the composition. I used the pose of the statue as my starting point, and to save time and money I was both the model and the photographer.
Once I had the photo references I used the computer to give it a Greek-god physique and glowing bronze skin.
Next I created a small scale oil composition and sent it to the client over the weekend, with a proposed Monday start.
Once the thumbs-up emoji arrived from the client, the truck was loaded with paints, brushes, drop cloths, and a gridded layout.
Day one was spent transferring the outlines on the wall to scale and starting on Hermes face. Once Hermes and his caduceus was completed on day three I was able to loosen up and cover some square footage with the large wave, water and sky. It flowed relatively effortlessly. After the background was complete I outlined Hermes in a yellow glow and removed the scaffolding.
After 7 days onsite I sent the client a photo of the finished mural. He said there would be check ready at his office. It was a quiet afternoon as I packed up my tools and leftover paints. I caught myself day-dreaming about going back in time to sleepy 60’s Leucadia and buying a house with my earnings.
See this mural at 1403 Hermes Street, Leucadia CA
Posted on 4/30/2026 11:08:52 PM
By Micaiah Hardison
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I remember being about twelve years old when a guy at church told me he had just come back from scuba diving in the Philippines. “The best diving in the world.” That stuck with me. Fast forward a few decades: I had just got my PADI scuba certification when I ran into him again. He repeated the claim, and got more specific. “Bohol.”
As he recounted stories I tried to memorize the name. “Bohol… sounds like ‘butthole,’” I noted to myself. Later that night, over pizza with some harbor friends, I brought it up. “I heard the best diving is in the Philippines…Butthole Island?” “Bohol!” someone laughed. “My dad lives there. He’s a dive instructor.” How convenient.
A few weeks later I was landing in Cebu City early in the morning with a ferry ticket to Bohol for the next day. Filipinos have a reputation for being kind. It’s genuine, effortless, disarming. That very first day I met a beautiful Filipina woman named Yvy. I wasn’t hesitant asking her to dinner at the Cebu Yacht Club. She wasn’t hesitant either.
We laughed through my jet lag as she taught me a few Visayan words that I had already forgotten by the next morning on the ferry to Bohol. For the next week I did multiple dives each day, it became a familiar routine: Jump off the boat at the edge of a vertical coral wall that disappears into the deep blue, then descend and drift along the face of the wall. There was no fighting the ocean, we moved with it in total stillness. Sometimes I’d kick against the current to hover over something especially mesmerizing but mostly, I just let go and watched.
It felt psychedelic. My breath was the soundtrack as this alien world slid past. Coral formations, strange textures, colors that didn’t seem real.
I flooded my GoPro on the first dive, a rookie move, but another diver shared photos so at least I have proof it wasn’t a dream.
After getting my Advanced Open Water certification, I headed back to Cebu to catch a flight for a week of surfing. Yvy kept her evening free to join me for another dinner date.
If you Google ‘surfing Philippines’ everything points to Siargao. It’s been on the surfing map since the ‘90s, but it’s really exploded in the last decade. Along with the comforts and luxuries that are now on offer, you also have crowds, inflated prices, and dilution of the local culture in exchange for a higher ROI.
It’s heavily marketed as a place to learn to surf. Which is ironic because beginner surfers don’t benefit from world-class waves. But they sure can ruin them.
I kept hoping for a solid swell to clean them up. It never came. Still, I could tell there was a lot of potential there. Enough to justify coming back and, if I’m being honest, a great excuse to see Yvy again. On the way home, I had one more night in Cebu with her. We squeezed in two essentials: Karaoke— and balut.
If you don’t know, balut is a fertilized duck egg. It’s not the type of egg you could stomach first thing in the morning. But after a couple drinks, on the side of a noisy street, it is definitely worth trying.
A few months later I returned to Siargao and Yvy took off work to join me. By now we had been talking every day for months. The waves were better, but a funny feeling lingered. It felt…packaged. Like a surf version of a theme park.
So we left. Mid-trip.
I followed a gut instinct to go somewhere less touched, quieter. A swell was coming and I just wanted to surf alone. That decision changed everything. We flew into an another island and started exploring on foot, under the full intensity of the Philippine sun. No tourism infrastructure. No crowds. Just coastline.
We found a simple room for rent with A/C, and there was one open air restaurant on the beach where we ate every meal. I surfed empty high-quality waves with no one else out.
At one point, I paid a moto-trike driver to stick with me all day while I chased spots I’d found on the Satellite map. Eventually, I had him wait on shore while I hired a small fishing boat to reach an outer reef. That session alone made the whole trip worth it. 
On my last day I started asking around for available property. I found beachfront land, about an acre and a half, with surf out front… for the price of a new truck back home. That is the kind of math that I like.
Traveling home I thought how nice it would have been to have had my own transportation. A motorcycle would have been nice. I started looking at bikes, down the rabbit hole I went. The next day, I bought a Honda CRF300L Rally. A good lightweight adventure bike, a desert or jungle bike. It felt like the right tool for wherever this was going.
After getting licensed, geared up, and accessorized I went on some solo off road adventures in Baja. I felt that the bike could handle another rider, at least a small one. 
I pitched the idea of an island moto adventure to Yvy. “Sure, of course my love.” She is so refreshingly easy going; calm and content. I ordered the same bike in the Philippines, flew over with my gear, and built out the identical moto setup upon arrival. From there, Yvy and I rode ‘two-up’ to her hometown in Libona, through the pineapple covered countryside. After a few days with the family we continued on.
We spent three days crossing the island, winding jungle roads, cliffside routes, through rain and mud. Eventually we reached the coast and explored beaches and rivers. We even left the bike behind on a beach and spent a night on a tiny island.
I surfed waves the locals said had never been ridden. That is a feeling Siargao could never sell me. Soon we ended up at the same stretch of coast we’d explored by foot on the previous trip. That’s when I made offers on two properties. One was accepted, the other is still being negotiated. 
This is a turning point. What started as curiosity just remembering a conversation from decades ago, has turned into something much bigger. I just returned from a fourth trip, with another trip already in motion.
Another chapter of life taking form on the other side of the world.
Posted on 7/25/2024 3:03:46 PM
By Micaiah Hardison
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'STORY TELLER' 18X24. OIL ON LINEN
I've stood on my own without asking for much support from friends or family, simply because I didn't how to ask for or accept it. When friends have reached out with genuine concern, I typically responded that I'm doing "fine", "good" or "great!", not showing weakness. Growing up there was no room for vulnerability, mistakes, or trust. So I was determined early to carve a self reliant path. Eventually though, I let my guard down enough to enjoy a trusting and dependable relationship for many years, at least to the best of my abilities at the time. However, my confidence was eviscerated when that fell apart.
I knew I was experiencing something within the commonality of man. Having enjoyed long conversations on the deck of the yacht club with an older friend named George, I had come to know his stories of both heart breaks and triumphs. I trusted him to understand my situation so I reached out to him to talk. He felt the pain with me, as he was reminded of his own experiences and offered what comfort he could. Over time I dusted myself off and adjusted my itinerary, with a valuable lesson added to my resume.
'COMFORT' 18X24". OIL ON LINEN
After recently painting a couple memorial paintings of local sailors that had passed away, I decided to paint more of my local boat friends who are thriving now. I selected George as a model along with another younger sailor named Brett. A few different visual stories were composed; 'Comfort' is a reflection of the story aforementioned, 'Mentor' depicts a sharing of knowledge within the boater community, and 'Story Teller' shows one generation inspiring the next with tales of a full life of bravery and adventure.
'MENTOR' 18X24". OIL ON LINEN
I have created two short videos with George and Brett discussing our camaraderie. You can view those videos HERE>>
These paintings, along with a larger collection of new paintings from Oceanside Harbor, Baja and Catalina will be on display at my waterfront studio gallery in Oceanside Harbor on July 27th, 2024 from 5-8pm at 1850 Harbor Drive North, Oceanside CA 92054
I hope to see you there!
Posted on 7/2/2024 11:21:04 AM
By Micaiah Hardison
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It took me nearly a year just to get some wind back in my sails after an unexpected and painful life change. I spent a winter in reflection, dragging my feet slowly as I gathered the pieces back together. I decided to force joy back into my life with a few trips out to Catalina during the summer and by autumn I was preparing to spend much of the next 6 months in Baja-committed to not trudging through another winter in sadness.
I upgraded the van's solar-electric system to run a full time fridge freezer as well as induction cooking. I loaded it up with all the gear I would need through the winter; cooking and camping equipment, painting supplies, surfing gear, and some things for my three girls who would join me for parts of the trip. Along the peninsula I painted some of my favorite areas; Bahia de Los Angeles, Turtle Bay, Bahia Concepcion, La Paz, Los Frailes, Todos Santos and Pescadero. These little 9x12 paintings taste of dust, tequila and driftwood bonfires. I look forward to sharing these pieces in person at my next art show on July 27th along with a collection of new studio pieces that I am working on now.
Just before the turnoff to the Calexico border crossing I saw a BestBuy and made the impulse decision to buy a GoPro camera to take little videos on my trip. This little black cube became my amigo as it accompanied me on my adventures, watched me paint and listened to my nervous narrations. It opened a peephole into my life as I have been sharing edited videos on YouTube each week. Some are very intentional; tours of my sailboat, the Baja van or the trailer in Baja, and timelapse videos of paintings being created along with narration. My favorites gather together scattered video clips into stories that remind me that I am living a truly wonderful life, though waves of anxiety create a static interrupting the intermittent clarity. I am grateful for the privilege and freedom to be able to direct my life in such a way that keeps captivating my interest as I curiously participate in the unfolding stories.
For those in Southern California, I hope to see you at the gallery on the water here in Oceanside Harbor for an exhibit of new works and live music.
July 27th, 5-8pm
Mare Amicus Art Gallery: 1850 Harbor Drive N. Oceanside CA 92054
760-707-8263
Keep an eye on the website and YouTube channel for new work and stories.
Posted on 9/12/2022 1:34:20 PM
By Summer A Nelson
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Some dreams in life really do seem to come true at the crossroads of preparation and opportunity. This is the way it was with the recent opening of Mare Amicus Art Gallery in Oceanside Harbor. There were so many years of work and tiny decisions that slowly and incrementally paved the way for this dream of Micaiah’s to become a reality. The most impactful decision was, by far, Micaiah’s unceasing discipline towards painting. Each and every outing he takes is punctuated with his painting kit and 3 or 4 plein air pieces. His dedication to the craft has endured years of raising kids, a stint living abroad, running his graphic design & signage company, divorce, a second marriage, and many side-projects. Another huge factor in the culmination of this goal was his decision to buy a small sailboat about 10 years ago. This lead him to spend hundreds of hours sailing and painting around the harbor, becoming a fixture in the local community. The final decision, which I (his wife) can confidently take credit for, is getting a dog, Hobie, who needs lots of walks. We take Hobie for frequent walks around the harbor and would always pass by the building that was home to Yearley Sailboats for several decades. We would walk past and admire the small racing boats parked outside, never realizing what the future would hold for Micaiah, and that quaint window-covered storefront.
When the space became available, Micaiah acted almost immediately. He consulted with me about his idea and I told him I thought it wasn’t great timing. I said something like, “We are both working full time, who is going to be running this gallery?”.
To be fair, I could see that it was a rare opportunity to get into a commercial space in such a beautiful location, but it was hard to imagine how we could make more time and space in our lives for yet another project. True to his nature, Micaiah completely ignored what I had to say and proceeded anyways. I couldn’t be happier for him.
On June 25th , after finishing a complete remodel of the interior space and filling the walls with art, Micaiah opened the doors of his new gallery to the public. Over the course of a few hours, we welcomed hundreds of visitors, who viewed the art and enjoyed a champagne toast. We were surrounded by a sunny day on the harbor, with a refreshing breeze and the beautiful music of John St. Claire.
Several pieces sold during the opening celebration, along with Mare Amicus branded hats, tee-shirts, burgees, and coffee mugs. The friends, family, and Oceanside residents in attendance gave the gallery a warm welcome to the community, for which we are very appreciative.
Micaiah is looking forward to hosting the next social event in the fall, so stay tuned for details forthcoming. In the meantime, feel free to stop by the gallery on the weekend to say "hi" and distract Micaiah while he’s trying to paint, or email for a private viewing appointment.
G BN FL G 2.55 5M on Linen 14" x 24"
Posted on 12/16/2020 3:20:37 PM
By Summer Nelson
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2020 feels like the kind of year that you exit quietly, like a party that's run a little too long, where sneaking out the door with little more than a nod to your closest friend seems like the best strategy. This year was full of unexpected tragedy, loss, and conflict that has not only upset the usual way of life, but caused many to question it. Where we spend our days, and how we spend them. Who we miss the most when our social life is whittled down to nothing. The things we think we will do if we have more time, versus what we actually do when faced with seemingly unending hours at home. I, for one, didn't bake bread. But I DID make a miniature garden with figurines based on my favorite children's book, The Wind in the Willows (if you have never read this book, do yourself a favor and order a copy). I also probably drank a little too much wine, signed up for a monthly toilet paper delivery (which I don't regret), had some personal epiphanies, panicked, argued with people on social media, tried to exercise at home (but then decided to just walk my dog more), and deeply thought about what matters to me most.
Ending 2020 with a series of small paintings feels appropriate. Crafted at the end of long dusty roads, on docks, dinghies, and beaches, these understated works represent the end of a journey, but also the start of something bigger. Usually if a plein air study is successful, Micaiah will use it in his studio as a color reference for a larger painting. Distilling the shapes and colors and refining towards a larger and more impactful piece. Personally, I am a huge fan of these tiny gems. For me, they carry the magic of the moment spent in quiet appreciation of the beauty around us. There is an organic moment embedded in each painting, one that reminds us not only of what we used to have, but whats to come. Memories that will carry us through the inevitable troubled waters ahead, to a hopeful future of fair winds and following seas. A future where we can act upon what we now know matters to us the most. We hope, these paintings can serve as a reminder of the beautiful things in life, for moments we have experienced, and everything we have yet to discover. To review the entire collection, Click here.
Eco Chontales 6" x 8" Oil on Linen $500.00
In The Shade 6" x 8" Oil on Linen $500.00
Roca Verde 6" x 8" Oil on Linen $500.00
Hanging Out 6" x 8" Oil on Linen $500.00
Posted on 4/6/2020 6:13:16 PM
By Summer Nelson
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Micaiah is overjoyed to have recently been inducted as a Signature Member of the American Society of Marine Artists (ASMA), where he joins an esteemed group of just over 100 Marine Artists across the US. He also had the painting titled "Black Pearl" selected for the 18th Annual ASMA National Exhibition. Set to travel to five art museums across the east coast over the next year and a half, the exhibition features 115 works in a variety of different mediums. We were lucky enough to visit the Jamestown Settlement Museum in Virginia for the grand opening show. Along the way, we soaked-in loads of rich American history and enjoyed the beautiful scenery and stunning interpretations of life during the 18th century at the living history museum of Colonial Williamsburg. We were so impressed with the level of attention to detail and historical accuracy at what is often referred to as the worlds largest open air museum.
Shortly after our trip to Virginia the Covid-19 pandemic hit and, as a result, most museums are closed for the time being. The traveling exhibit is paused for now, but if you would like to take a virtual tour of the exhibit, Click here!
A new painting titled "Harbor Kelp" is currently hanging at the Maritime Art Gallery at Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut. This painting of the dinghy dock over on the southwest side of Catalina Island in Cat Harbor, is available for purchase through the museum.
Harbor Kelp 24" x 16" Oil on Linen
Included below is a series of paintings based on our time at Catalina Island last summer. Micaiah's love of the lighting in this little harbor continues to grow...
Catalina Sunrise 30" x 24" Oil on Linen
Sunday Afternoon 24" x 24" Oil on Linen
Here below is a small study painted last summer of Two Harbors, Catalina. Studies are all available for purchase on the website.
Posted on 12/23/2018 3:57:10 PM
By Summer Nelson
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This past June we went on a trip to Greece to do some painting, sailing, yoga and hiking.
Lefkada is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, connected to the mainland by a causeway. We were especially interested in visiting this area because it is the namesake of Micaiah’s home town, “Leucadia”. Lefko, meaning “white” in Greek, is the basis for this island’s name, and an apt description of the beautiful limestone cliffs which crumble into white rocks, laying a backdrop for turquoise waters and the historical “Cape Lefkada”, where the Greek female poet Sappho allegedly leapt to her death from the 100 foot high cliffs.
In Greek mythology, Phaon was a boatman. He was old and ugly when Aphrodite came onto his boat. She had disguised herself as a crone. Phaon ferried her over to Asia Minor and accepted no payment for doing so. In return, she gave him a box of ointment. When he rubbed it on himself, he became young and beautiful. Many were captivated by his beauty. Sappho fell in love with him. He lay with her but soon grew to resent her and devalue her. Sappho was so distraught with his rejection that she threw herself from a cliff into the sea.
Micaiah wants to paint a scene of Sappho falling from the cliff… I told him I thought that was a little dark. If anyone is interested, let him know. Nothing would thrill him more than being commissioned to paint his own rendition of this Greek tragedy.
He did create a collection of small plein air studies while on the island. Three of the studies were selected for an exhibit at The Maritime Gallery at Mystic Seaport in Connecticut. The exhibit is titled “Maritime Miniatures by Maritime Masters”.
Sailing to Ithaca 6"x8" Plein Air-Oil on Linen
Egyptian Freighter in Vasiliki Bay 6"x8" Plein Air-Oil on Linen
Agiofili Beach 6"x8" Plein Air-Oil on Linen
Through our travels there, it was impossible not to try using Spanish to get by as it proves to be very helpful in Italian, French or Portuguese speaking countries, but we quickly found that the only word in Greek which even vaguely resembles a word in Spanish is the word Σάββατο which is Sabado in Spanish. Saturday in English. Even that was a bit of a stretch. Despite our lack of local language skills, we managed to navigate our way from Athens, by way of multiple trains, down to the nearest port and by sheer luck and wandering we found the Yacht Club of Greece & the conjoined Piraeus Sailing Club. There we had one of the top 5 meals of my life at a restaurant called Istioploikos, where we settled in on a sunny deck over the sea and ordered blind from the menu (no English menu was available and none of the servers were bilingual). We were blown away by an incredible seafood spread, salad, and Mastika liquor served as an aperitif. Mastika is a locally made spirit derived from the sap of an evergreen shrub that grows in the Mediterranean. It tastes like a mild sweet pine resin and is served over ice.
We sat on the deck watching a children’s sailing regatta going on in the bay. The race course was set up with large inflatable pool toys as the markers, so there were big swans and flamingos out on the water with tiny humans on equally small boats slowly making their way around each one. It felt like time had slowed to a mercifully unhurried pace to let us savor this slice of heaven. Or maybe it just seemed that way because the inexperienced kids took so long to weave through their happy race course. Towards the end of the race a patch of fog rolled through and after the last boat had rounded the swan out in front of us, the whole zoo of buoys were collected by the adult on a zodiac. As we left that afternoon, Micaiah stopped to take a few pictures of the kids launching their little sailing dinghies in the bay.
If you came all this way to see the Kauai painting, Click Here :)
Posted on 1/14/2018 10:39:44 PM
By Summer Nelson
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Micaiah's ongoing theme of historical coastal scenes has garnered the attention of the local community and resulted in the commission of a series of prohibition-era paintings by the owner of a newly opened gastro-pub in Leucadia.
This series of paintings is based on stories of Moonlight Beach, which was popular during Prohibition (1920-1933) with the rum-runners and bootleggers who smuggled alcohol up the coast. Large boats anchored outside the three-mile limit of U.S. jurisdiction sold alcohol to smugglers in small, fast boats which could easily outrun the coast guard, as depicted in the painting entitled “Leaving the Rum Line.” On one occasion in 1928 a cargo boat miscalculated it’s depth and ran aground at Moonlight Beach in the middle of the night. The community came out to collect the scattered barrels and bottles of liquor, depicted in the painting entitled “1928 Moonlight Beach”. The drunken jubilation that followed is depicted in another painting entitled “Scofflaws.”
This historical themed collection will be installed at Bread & Barley on the Highway 101 in Leucadia this coming Thursday the 18th of January. Join us for a happy hour reception from 4:30-6:30 pm and take a whimsical look at local bootleggers and booze smugglers during the California prohibition.
1928 Moonlight Beach 24" x 36" Oil On Linen
Leaving The Rum Line 24" x 36" Oil On Linen
Scofflaws 24" x 36" Oil On Linen
Posted on 11/5/2017 1:34:59 PM
By Summer Nelson
1 Comment
In October, we took a short trip to Mystic, Connecticut, a salty coastal town rich with maritime history. The story of Mystic's nautical connection is told at Mystic Seaport, the nation's largest maritime museum, which has preserved a number of sailing ships, most notably the whaler Charles W. Morgan which is America's oldest commercial ship still afloat (built and launched in 1841).
The village is located on the Mystic River, which flows into Long Island Sound, providing access to the sea. We were there for the 17th National Exhibition of the American Society of Marine Artists. Along the way we enjoyed lectures, demonstrations and art shows surrounded by the nation's leading marine artists, as well as beautiful hikes and incredible seafood at The Oyster Club.
One of the interesting things we could not help but notice over and over again was how incredibly different marine art is in the North East. It's seeped in New England history with wooden ships and war heroes, whereas Pacific coast marine art seeks to capture the golden fall light, sunsets over the sea, and rich coastline scenery. In comparison to looming clipper ships on dark waters, Micaiah's arid California costal scenes made his art stand out as much as his vintage Ryen Spooner shirts in a sea of black windbreakers.
A classic example of that is a recent painting here below of our favorite dinghy The Black Pearl, as she sat on the shore during a late summer trip to Catalina Island.
Black Pearl 24" x 26" Oil on Linen
Upcoming events: Keep an eye out for news on a commissioned project that Micaiah is working on which dives into the history of the Prohibition era here in Southern California! There will be a winter soiree and art show held locally to view these paintings.
Lastly, we want to say thank you to those who came out to the Artist's Reception for "Sea Change" over the summer. Everyone who came to the show and signed in guest book was entered into a raffle to win one of two small paintings.
The winners of the two studies are...
Hanna Elliott Congratulations on winning the "Leucadia Evening" Study!
Indy Callaway Enjoy your new coastal painting, "Cool Waters"!
