DEMONSTRATION

Missing the Crashing Waves

STAGE ONE

My plein-air studies had been small and rapid, due to the extreme weather conditions whilst painting on Bardsey Island. I placed the horizon line high on the canvas to focus on a powerful wave as it smashed against the rocks. The foamy white foreground water tells the story of consistently large waves that had crashed before. As I painted I moved my brushes in the direction of the waves to convey their movement in the scene. I was aware of my brushstrokes being free to recreate the feel of the energy that I wanted to express

STAGE TWO

I began to work in more of the details in the scene, considering the light and shadow in the forms and shapes of the crashing wave

FINISHED PAINTING

Missing the Crashing Waves, oil on canvas, 12 16in (30.5 40.5cm). I enlarged the foreground rocks slightly to contrast with the lighter areas and the fluidity of the sea. Redshank flew through the scene, I loved how they drew the eye in and created a tension between themselves and the wave as they darted past, just missing the spray

My plein-air sketch. I decided to develop this scene in the studio in order to redesign my composition and to increase the scale