By: Aaron Chang

For the past two years, I have been working with the visionaries at the New Alila Marea Beach Resort in Encinitas, CA to help craft a guest experience that highlights the beauty of where we live.

As the Artist in Residence for the hotel (and a local), I was commissioned to create a body of work that captures the spirit, soul, feel and energy of Encinitas; specifically, the connectivity of the town to the ocean.

Our mission: to help curate an authentic experience for the introspective explorer. Show guests the beauty that surrounds them and let them find their own path…

We have so much to be grateful for in this beautiful place we call home. It is a pleasure for me to share the beauty I see through my lens every day…

One thing I love and admire about this project is how the hotel has embraced locals to create a vibe that is very authentic to the area.

Whether exploring on an Electra bike down the 101, using Rob Machado’s bottle refilling station throughout the hotel or hanging out at the pool lounge, where surfboard-inspired wall panels were created by local shaper Brian Szymaski, these things and people — myself included, are local to the area.

Two of the pieces I created and collaborated with interior designer, Mark Zeff, were custom commissioned art for the hotel: Onyx and Water Surface. Both of these pieces were photographed in front of the hotel and capture the natural beauty of the beach and the ocean.

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Click the videos below to hear my stories behind my collection of work at the hotel:

Video #1/5: Onyx, Custom Commissioned Art for Alila Marea Beach Resort, Encinitas, CA