Where the Ocean Meets the Shore

Where the Ocean Meets the Shore

Materials: Water colour paint on cartridge paper

Description: In this painting, I used a dry brush technique to paint the palm tree and detail of the leaves of the palm tree.  Throughout this painting, I intended to capture the movements of the waves in the ocean, as well as the movement of the clouds in the sky.  By using small brush strokes and different shades of blue, you can visualize the flow of the waves hitting against the shore of the beach.  The small brush strokes in the sky also make the clouds appear as if they are moving and the sky is changing colours, as well as shows the movement in the sky as the world spins.  To paint the sand, I used a water colour wash to show the different shades and the shadows in the sand.  The silhouette of the isolated palm tree with mountains in the background of the painting shows peace.  The leaves of the palm tree are thin and appear to be flowing freely.  Unity is shown in this painting as the colour of the sand and the sky are similar and harmoniously bring together the feeling of peace in the painting.

I had gotten inspiration for my painting from this photograph (Serbin) of a palm tree, on a beach, with a sunset in the background.  I added more colour to my painting, instead of using neutral colours which are shown in the photograph.  I added deeper blue colours to the ocean and more yellow colours to the sky.  I liked the shadows in the sand on the photograph, which is why I tried to add shadow to the sand in my painting by adding tonal value using a wash of water colour.

The beach is a place where people go to have fun, to spend time with their family and friends, or to enjoy themselves and feel relaxed. The main objective of this painting is to show the peacefulness of being on a beach, sitting by the ocean, listening to the sound of the waves hitting the shore.  Sometimes you just need to dip your toes in the sand, close your eyes, and get lost in the sounds of the waves.

 -Yours Truly