Serene waters is a new adventure for me, being the smallest canvas I have worked on. It is also enjoyable to paint on a square canvas because of the visual tension it creates over the flat picture plane.

Given the modest size of the painting, I’ve found myself using plenty of paint, working expressively and freely to show the light and movement of the sea. I’ve based this painting on recent trips to the beach during the cold spell of weather in November.

Over the last few years, I’ve gravitated towards using more earth pigment based colours in my seascapes. Like umbers, siennas and ochres chosen for their subtlety. In Serene waters’s case, I’ve used Williamsburg earth colours.

Published December 2017