Meeting Cliff Wassmann in Laguna Beach

Great to meet Cliff Wassmann today in Laguna Beach and pick up this incredible piece! Cliff is a properly established artist based out of 419 Ocean Avenue in Laguna Beach, California. He trained as an oil painter at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and spent 15 years painting before branching into large-format film photography in the 90s. What really caught my eye is his Star Wars work. Cliff is officially licensed through Lucasfilm via Acme Archives to create Star Wars fine art. His paintings imagine scenes that could have been in the films but never were — all while sticking to proper Star Wars canon. He works from actual models and schematic drawings of the ships and vehicles to get every detail right. His first Star Wars piece "Approaching Storm" — Imperial Walkers on Hoth — sold out as a limited edition canvas print. Beyond the Star Wars stuff, Cliff is known for his dramatic landscapes of the Southern California coast, capturing lightning storms, rainbows, and sunsets that look almost unreal. His photography has appeared in hundreds of magazines and books worldwide, and he's an exclusive Getty Images contributor. Walking into his studio was like stepping into another world. Star Wars prints alongside dinosaur paintings alongside the most beautiful coastal photography you've ever seen. Proper inspiration for what I want to do with my own work — mixing pop culture with real craft. Buzzing to get this piece up on the wall.