?Plenty of artists have painted picturesque portraits of Mission Beach. But not many have captured the true essence of the area the way that local artist Tom Sellers has. Sellers’ painting “Mission Beach Boardwalk” provides a glimpse at the some of the regular characters who frequent the boardwalk, from young beachgoers to joggers with dogs to the famous Slomo. He said he was inspired to create the eight-foot panorama by daily trips on Ocean Front Walk. “When I started living down here, I found the people here so fascinating. Every day I go down and do my time on the boardwalk,” Sellers said. “The whole reason I love this place really and truly centers around that boardwalk and the view.” On a sunny June day three years ago, Sellers decided he needed to capture these people that make up Mission Beach. So he simply headed out to the boardwalk. “I just went down there with my camera and just started snapping pictures as the characters went by,” Sellers said. “Virtually everybody that went by that morning I took a picture of. I took about 150 pictures.” In about two weeks, a handful of digital images turned into a unique piece of art. Painting outside at his Windemere Court residdnce, Sellers said the painting intrigued many passersby. “Everybody has painted the Crystal Pier and a lot of people have painted the beach, but I just think the people make the place exciting,” Sellers said. “I’ve got the tattooed guy on his greaser bike, the girl with one of the more unusual dogs, the kids walking by with hardly anything on and Flash with nothing on.” “I want some other people to see the painting and the picture because what brings the tourists to this place is that it is the best beach in the United States,” he said. Sellers has been around Mission Beach since the mid-1950s, when his parents purchased vacation property on Whiting Court. From a very young age, he had an interest for art. “In school, I hated algebra so much that I had to be good at something,” Sellers said. “I was always really good at drawing, so my mother made sure I had great drawing courses.” Sellers honed his trade at the Art Center School and Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles. His art took a backseat to his career when living in Hawaii from 1970 to 2000, but when Sellers retired and returned to Mission Beach, he started back up with the brush and canvas. “I decided what I would do is come down and just start doing my painting again,” Sellers said. “In the meantime, I become so fascinated with the characters – the personalities of this whole region.” Those interested in Sellers’ work can contact him by e-mail at [email protected].