Sea air and a change of scenery

It's been a while since I've had a painting that I've been happy about to show you. But I've just finished one that I'm really pleased with.

The idea was to paint a simple seascape. But as in all things simple, it doesn't seem to stay that way!

I wanted to show the scene of two people walking on a beach, perhaps collecting shells or just enjoying the companionship of an amble in the sea air. But they were of lesser importance than the landscape and of the weather. I wanted to show the sea and sky almost as one, merging into each other. And I wanted to paint a picture depicting the scudding clouds forming for a storm in the distance, where the sea is starting to raise with the wind, and where the afternoon sun colours the clouds orange and yellow, a beautiful contrast to the blues and greens of the sea.

And this is what I painted with that idea in mind. The watercolours add to the clearness of the day and the light sea air, but they also are of enough depth of colour to show the darks of the forboding clouds and the shadows on the sea.

I love the way the light changes within the picture and the way the sunlight catches the far horizon but loses itself in the far light as well. I love the soft edges of the clouds, but I also love the way the waves flow onto the beach, the foam merging with the wet sand.

And now, I just want to go and walk on that beach. I can feeeel the sea air, and smell the salty breeze.

Oh, and the title? It's called "Breath of fresh air"