Fishermen's Stuff, Beer Beach

Pastel on Pastelmat Board, 19 x 27 inches

This painting is a commissioned piece of Beer Beach in Devon, with all the paraphernalia the fishermen of the village have stacked on the shingle foreshore - bags, buckets, bins, crab and lobster pots, rope, crates, flags and buoys, all of which provide colourful extras for a painting such as this.

The shingle itself is a bit of a challenge - really, no detail is described, just a sort of gradual build-up of marks until the effect is achieved. There was a strong early morning sunlight bursting through the clouds, lighting up the sea on the horizon behind the main, light blue boat, a fleeting moment to capture. 

Just hope the commissioners like it now...!

The Sound of Raasay

Oil on Board, 9 x 12 inches

Just realised that I haven't posted anything for such a long time. I actually haven't painted much in the last month, mainly due to a long-overdue holiday, working on a property, running the gallery and duties with the Royal Society of Marine Artists as social media person and hanging the annual exhibition at the Mall Galleries in London yesterday. I have 6 paintings in the show, and although it's very late notice, if anyone would like to come to the Private View tomorrow, Wed 4th October between 11am - 8pm, drop me a line by emailing me here and I can email you an e-vite for the PV which is valid for the duration of the exhibition, which finishes on Sat 14th October.

The above painting is one I finished last month from one painted en plein air on the Isle of Skye last May. The weather was very warm indeed, but the cloud rolled in, almost covering the distant mountains and turning the sea grey. Then the sun came out again. These are the most trying conditions for painting on site, and you inevitably end up chasing the light, changing colours and tones constantly. I decided the sunny look provided the most pleasing painting, so opted for that in the end, back in the studio. 

The receding tones from foreground to the distant hills provides a nice sense of aerial perspective to the painting, giving the illusion of depth to a two-dimensional painting.