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By Erika I. Ritchie, Orange County Register

Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG

Originally published in the Orange County Register

Howard Kirk stood 4 feet back from the large canvas and easel standing on his Mission Viejo apartment balcony.

He eyed the face of the enormous wave he was painting and considered what more it needed. He walked forward, sat down in his chair and with a small brush added green and yellow details to its face. The surf spot “Jaws” is located along Maui’s North Shore and only the most skilled surfers can ride it.

“A lot of places you can recognize just from the face of the wave,” he said, dabbing in the last details.

Kirk, 74, exhibits his work at LagunaArt.com, a gallery next to Nordstrom on the second floor of The Shops at Mission Viejo. Recently, he participated in a Save Our Seas exhibit, coordinated by the gallery’s owner, Shane Townley. The multi-week exhibition raised money for environmental and human causes.

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