Paintings from the Edge of the Santa Lucia Mountains: Sharing Environmental Studies through Art celebrates the visual beauty of Carmel's river valley, located east of the village of Carmel-by-the-Sea. Readers are invited to explore the phenomena of sunlight and climate interacting with the valley's oak woodlands, native trees, plants, and gardens through the paintings. With the expressed desire for greater environmental awareness and conservation in this moment of time, each landscape study is meant to bring a greater understanding of the complex and interrelated parts of how energy from the sun on trees, plants, water, clouds, and air is essential to the health of our living planet. In this book, which opens and ends with olive branches, one can return to enjoy the experience many times.