Pouch Cove surf

Pouch Cove Surf
watercolour 7 x 10

I am still learning about water and how to depict it convincingly. Its a lot harder than anticipated but I think I've broken the back of it and have enough information about how water acts and reacts to predict where to put my next brushstroke.

Until I joined the small group that makes up Watermarks, I hadn't paid a lot of attention to the water around me, not artistically. I concentrated on people and animals mostly, but Watermarks has made me examine water more closely and helped me understand it well enough to draw and paint it.

Images of seascapes can be painted from reference images and done well, but unless you know, first hand, how light plays on water, how the sea streams over and off rocks, how waves form and curl, how the foam turns creamy brown after storms and how 'plain old rocks' turn into glittering rainbows of gold, blue, purple and green, your paintings will be somewhat lacking.

Intimate knowledge of your subject is crucial to create a good piece of art. A large expanse of water is daunting, but when you break it down into smaller parts and concentrate on each section one at a time, it comes together more easily.

I continually watch the ocean as I drive past it daily. I see light that I want to capture, patterns of currents on the surface, how the weather affects movement, surf, light...it goes on and on. There are successes and failures, but each one moves me forward.