The redwood zone up in northern cali is absolutely beautiful once you get out of Eureka itself, and about 5-10 miles north of Eureka is one of my favorite spots on earth, Trinidad. If you find yourself up in that area, do yourself a favor and do some exploring/hiking/camping in Trinidad, and be sure to check out all of the parks there. During the summer months, this area is truly paradise.
The only problem I had up there was the overall lack of income sources. Not much money up there. I lasted quite a while because I was working as an artist and shipping all of my work outside the area, so my income was not generated locally. I was not painting houses for a living back then - in fact, this was during my more rebellious younger years when I was trying to get away from the family business.
Oregon coast is just as beautiful, but even more sparsely populated. Only a few Oregon coastal areas would have enough of a population to support full-time painting work, IMO. But you've got quite a bit more population inland a ways... Eugene/Springfield area is heavily populated, as well as the outlying suburbs between Eugene and Portland. But with the relatively low population, you wouldn't have to fight much traffic to get yourself to the coast from the 5 corridor where the population is.
I loved living in the sparsely-populated areas as an artist, but there's no way I could make a living painting houses in those areas... but there is definately possibilities up in the pacific northwest. Just choose your area very carefully, you don't want to get stuck in a pond too small to support your business.