Contemporary original seascape paintings make you think of paintings which use modern methods, materials of today. You could look at contemporary art and paintings as falling somewhere on a mental sliding scale. At one extreme are artworks with almost unrecognizable images, made with new mediums and methods, often giving you uncomfortable challenges. At the other end of the spectrum lies the somewhat new art, closer to traditional painting but definitely recent.
Describing the type of paintings shown here in the gallery, I feel they are contemporary in style but are not out to shock or cause discomfort. They use abstract, direct painting but concentrated inwards, into the space of the artwork, focusing foremost on representing a seascape, rather than being subjectless. They are of course contemporary in the sense of being made today.
The modern seascape brings to mind the use of flat, simple colours with little shading or broken colours, letting paint be paint in a minimum of artistic finessing or meddling after laying a fresh mark down on the large canvas or paper. In terms of seascape paintings in particular, this might mean large areas of flat sea, sands or skies with simple shapes and indications of natural movement. Letting the viewers eye do the work interpreting harder colour edges and imagining interest in areas of simple colour.
The inescapable pleasure of enjoying a contemporary seascape painting is something that attracts many of us who enjoy nature and the sea. Having a lovely original artwork of the sea to enjoy and being able to look at it when you feel like it is art ownership at its best. The painting can express the beautiful qualities of the sea, its light, atmosphere and moods throughout the year.
Looking out over the shore is a wonderfully affirming and peaceful experience. It captures your attention and lets you imagine the wild beauty of nature.
The continuous movement of the elements has a calming and refreshing quality. Its patterns and rhythms are also visually beautiful. The quality of sunlight you find by the seashore can give you different feelings and atmospheres that can be expressed through fine art.
Contemporary seascape oil paintings for example, can also offer you a beautiful, meaningful and creative reminder of the seashore. Connecting with you though shape, rhythm and patterns to remind you of the seashore.
Contemporary seascape watercolour paintings have a pure, minimal feel and communicate the beautiful qualities of light and the natural movement over the sea. They show the magnificent open spaces, rhythms and textures of nature through the watercolour medium.
You can imagine being there, looking out from the sandy shore to the open sea, with waves catching the sun and the beautiful graduating tones over the sea and the sky.
The artworks share a similarity to my recent abstract oil paintings in how they are painted, bringing you the essential qualities seen.
The pure, minimal composition suggests feelings of calm and restful contemplation. I’ve chosen muted, natural colours to encourage a focus more on the composition and the way the shapes suggest light and movement over the paper. The paper surface also has a heavier texture (for a medium weight paper) which presents a beautiful texture in the various washes of colour in the paintings.
They can capture the feelings and personal artists impressions of moments in time. It shows the fresh changes brought about by a new day and a new tide, revealing the many qualities of nature. There is a great deal of visual variety and changes you can see from day to day on the beach.
The seasons bring very different visual qualities. Winter brings the low sun, evocative and atmospheric colours and tones. Misty conditions create lovely soft tones and clear winter days bring beautiful colours. The summer offers lovely rich colours, bright contrasts and magnificent evening sunsets to enjoy. The changes in water conditions and heights of the tide throughout the year can make for very different views, especially on flat open sandy beaches. All of these changes affect the kind of qualities a painting of the seashore has.
It can reconnect you to nature and the elements, capturing your attention and letting you wonder about the beauty of nature. It can act as a reminder of past times spent enjoying the beach and the open sea or ocean.
The joy and happiness reminded or the warm feelings of mental release or freedom from everyday worries, perhaps meditation for some are great reasons to choose modern, contemporary seascape paintings for your home.
Published July 2021
