By the Mussel Sheds, Brancaster Staithe

Oil on Board, 10 x 12 inches

I haven't painted any Norfolk paintings for a long time, so it was a nice change to paint this little study of one of my favourite haunts, Brancaster Staithe.  It is an artist's haven, full of old sheds and huts, loads of mud and boats strewn at every angle. With the low, bright sun directly behind the sheds, and all the paraphernalia of the mussel fishermen, including the green and cerise mussel-bags stacked up, there was lots of colour and texture to tackle. Three yellow boats and two white ones...oh, this was just heaven.

The brightest lights were in the sky, the highlights of boat rims and that gorgeous pure yellow reflected sunlit patch of mud next to the mussel-bags above the foreground boat. The mud was fun to sculpt with my palette knife, dragging layers of paint over the top of sticky paint underneath.  You'll have got the impression I enjoyed this one - a nice change from my green inland landscapes.  This is the first one of maybe six for the RSMA exhibition digital submission, so more to get on with....