Winter Seashore

The Watercolour

The early winter gales and rainstorms have come upon us quickly after the warm and settled autumn weather. It has meant that some thoughts turn to seasonal paintings looking forward to Christmas time and beyond. With the changing climates we are experiencing it is a lottery if we actually see the winters we are used to in this north-east area with its deep snow and frost around. My thoughts materialised after seeing a very old photograph of a shoreline along the coast with its sand fronting wide dunes behind, so, with some artistic licence I have produced an image on my “Winter Seashore” watercolour.

The horizon and near seashore edges were masked with fluid as were the lines of small waves seen. The far horizon was painted in and allowed to dry then washed out with a damp sponge to give a feeling of depth to the picture. The sky was washed in with lampblack, allowed to dry and dulled with tissue to give the fast moving storm effect.

The waves and seashore edges had the masking removed and lines of deep blue and Paynes Grey washed in under the white and along the sides to give a moving effect. Shadows on the snow were painted in strongly close, and dulled down the farther back, and light washes overall to highlight undulations in the snow covered sand. Along the edged the frosted grasses were highlighted.

The sea was tinted in deep blue to cool the painting and leaving the effect of winter overall. Sharpness in the painting also added to the cold atmosphere.

A satisfying result for me.