Offshore light after rain – Abstract oil painting inspired by beautiful coastal light

Over the last month, I’ve been working on a new abstract oil painting inspired by views of the coastline after rain.

Offshore light after rain reflects those beautiful fleeting moments in nature when the rain clears and the sunlight illuminates the sky and coastline. Revealing rich colours and a wonderful atmosphere. You can explore Offshore light after rain in the gallery.

I’ve found these are temporary states and don’t last long but when I see them, they are utterly engaging. There is a sense of renewal and energy that suffuses the coastline after rain as the sun appears and brightens the day.

This contemporary abstract seascape painting aims to express these natural conditions through the medium of oils. I’ve used a 'colour chiaroscuro’ or colour light and dark contrast. Expressive warm colours suggest sunlight through the clouds and recessive blue/purples denote shadow depth. It is a kind of personal colour language I’ve used and developed in my recent coastal artwork.

I’ve used hard and soft tones, to suggest the atmosphere of hazy rain together with the crisp, sunlit clean air of better visibility. I’ve also inferred the piercing sunlight through areas of brightness over the sea and its surface.

There is a shimmering of light and an atmospheric, lively feel to this coastal oil painting. It remains abstract and very much a personal response based on a realistic view.

It was painted on Belle Arti pre-stretched canvas with a standard 21mm depth and I’ve masked the edges as much as possible to retain a clean white primer finish to them. I’ve chosen more environmentally-friendly pigments from my choice of professional oil paints, avoiding lead or cadmium. The paint surface is unvarnished.

Using colour, light and the texture of oils and brushstrokes, Offshore light after rain aims at communicating the visual qualities and emotional resonance of fleet moments of natural beauty over the coastline after rain. Offshore Light After Rain is available online here.

Published February 2025