I was brought up less than 5 miles from the seaside - beach towns which suffered the ravages of 1980s Britain. Where once were boating lakes and donkey rides there are now just concrete remnants and windswept sand overlooking the cold North Sea. I still love the towns but I was never a beach fan. I get bored and can only take so much sunshine and I get no pleasure from sitting in the cold on an English beach.
Thank goodness for a sketchbook, some materials and a beach tent!
What beaches do have is constant comings and goings, bright colours, interesting textures, big skies and light effects on the sea.
On a recent trip to Dorset I painted the view of the beach at Burton Bradstock. We sat on the beach after an excellent brunch at the Hive Beach cafe and I painted this watercolour. I liked the strong sun creating shadowed figures above the sand viewed from low down. I also liked the challenge of painting the light through the windbreak and the texture and glistening of the sand.
I also did this view looking out to sea at Weymouth. I used pencil crayons and a stump to get the delicate sky effects. I liked the range of colours in the shallow sea and the challenge of depicting a shallow sloping beach with subtle textures and colour changes.
When I paint anything and have to study the scene in front of me I marvel at how preconceived ideas, the things you learned as a child, are often wrong. Sky isn't always blue, clouds aren't just white and sand certainly isn't yellow.
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