Avalon

Original oil painting of Avalon Bay on Santa Catalina Island, California. The artwork is also available as archival quality canvas giclée prints in a variety of sizes listed below.

	Description & Size		Price		Purchase
	165G0810 Open Edition Giclée Print on Canvas, 8 x 10 inches 8.00" x 10.00" Id: 794		$49.00
	165G1624 Limited Edition Giclée Print on Canvas, 16 x 24 inches, Total Edition: 95 Prints 16.00" x 24.00" Id: 795		$230.00
	165G2436 Limited Edition Giclée Print on Canvas, 24 x 36 inches, Total Edition: 95 Prints 24.00" x 36.00" Id: 796		$525.00

Santa Catalina Island, often called Catalina Island, or just Catalina, is a rocky island off the coast of California with a magical allure. The island is only 22 miles long and eight miles across at its greatest width. The island is part of the Channel Islands of California archipelago. Most of the island is owned by the Catalina Island Conservancy.

The first European to discover the island was Portuguese explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, sailing for Spain. In 1542, he claimed the island for Spain, naming it San Salvador after his ship. Later, another Spanish explorer, Sebastian Vizcaino, rediscovered the island on the eve of Saint Catherine's day (November 24) in 1602 and renamed it Santa Catalina. The name has stuck ever since.

Avalon, or Avalon Bay, is the only city on Santa Catalina Island. Besides Avalon, the only other populated part of the island is the small unincorporated town of Two Harbors. The older parts of Avalon near the shoreline are dominated by small houses and buildings in various traditional architectural styles. The number of cars allowed on the island is tightly controlled and golf carts are the preferred mode of transport through most of town.

The casino so named for its entertainment venues, not gambling, dominates the Avalon skyline and the town's beaches are the major attraction. The bayfront businesses cater to the tourists, sailors, and cruisers and the pace here is decidedly free and fun loving.