As the seasons turn, I’ve been creating more seascape paintings, which are based on views of the autumn sunlight over the sea. The quality of light as the sun shines through the clouds and over the sea is a subject I’ve been looking at recently.

The new paintings reflect the autumnal feel, where the sun is shining through the cloud a little lower in the sky, the air is fresher and you notice the weaker warmth from the sun.

Sunlit seas, Lytham St Annes is my very latest watercolour painting. The soft light is noticeable in this painting. The soft tones are created with complex mixes of Cerulean and cobalt blue with Naples yellow and two types of red, cadmium and Alizarin. I’ve pushed the blues towards a purpler end with the use of reds in the mix for the sea. Light shines through the clouds and catches the water on the shore as sand turns gently into shallow sea.

Sunlight over the sea is the second watercolour painting I’ve completed recently and with a strong sunlight present on a clearer day. The broken cloud rises up to blue skies above your head and the intense light spreads from the horizon across the sea and highlights the shallow shore. The sandy beach is silhouetted against the light. The square format and the shape of the clouds rising upwards brings a feeling of space and distance to the painting. I’ve used colour mixtures of blue, red and brown to find the right dark sand colours for this painting. Again I’ve used Cerulean mixed with cobalt blue to create the sky.

The new paintings celebrate the light over the sea based on inspiring views over Lytham St Annes beach at this time of year. As with all my watercolours, they are signed, titled and dated on the reverse. I’ve kept to my usual choice of paper this year which is Arches Aquarelle and Daniel Smith with Schminke professional watercolour paints.

You can see more details about each watercolour painting in the gallery. These latest artworks are currently available for sale online or by contacting me directly.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve also included a picture of each watercolour painting within an example white frame, so you can have a better idea of what the finished framed painting will look like in your space. In the past, I have created a digital mockup of a client’s interior with my artwork on the wall. If this is something which would be useful, please get in touch and I would be happy to do this for you.

Published September 2022