“
I suddenly found my reference photo for this Cornish cove. I’d mislaid it, and had left this painting propped unfinished against a wall, and I was delighted to get on with it again. This scene takes me out of myself to a sun-drenched other world, a warm and pleasant seaside day. I had initially started on a dark purple background that I’d already prepared for a project that had fallen through. Before losing the photo, I’d just sloshed in the rough shapes of the of the basic elements of the scene. My first step with the re-start was to lay in the large areas of highlights on the sunlit cliffs. Then gradually I added some detail to the boats. Quite early on I painted the sailor working on those boats, although not with much detail at first, but then I crept the fat man in from the left , heading down to the beach. I did him in quite some detail, although I’d purposely had him cut in half, as it were, by the edge of the picture.
The man with his back to us heading towards the waves was then added with great detail, and I loved the way his colours contrasteded from the bluey-grey shadow on the sand behind him. The two reclining figures were next, and I didn’t spend much time getting their detail sharp. They were just there - not TOO important in the scheme of things. I added a lot more detail of sand and the odd rocks around the shoreline, and then the couple that I assumed were a son and his slightly disapproving father on the extreme right amongst the gentle waves. I think it’s important to imagine what a person’s life is like if you’re putting them in a painting. Maybe I’m crazy, but I think it helps make everything feel real. Finally I added all the detail not yet done on the boats and the area leading down to them, and the painting was finished. I’d purposely left the cliffs with very little detail. Save details for the interesting bits . . . the people!”
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36