Sun behind Clouds – another new watercolour

Painting of Burnham Overy Staithe
Sun Behind Clouds – Burnham Overy Staithe. Watercolour on Waterford 300lb rough paper. 14ins x 14ins.

While walking recently at Burnham Overy Staithe there were some lovely effects of the light. Sunbeams coming from behind a cloud and a lot of reflected light from the acres of glistening mud. I took a quick snap with my phone and several days later started working on this watercolour.

It was a struggle, as it sometimes is, to resolve the lights and the darks and there were quite a few sessions in the studio before I was happy. Well, reasonably happy. Paintings are like that, sometimes they almost paint themselves, while at other times they seem to fight tooth and claw. Sometimes they win, and go on the pile of those that didn’t quite make it.

But, I feel that this one is okay now and I’ve framed it in anticipation of the West Norfolk Artists exhibition at St Nicholas Chapel, King’s Lynn which opens on the 19th September. Indeed, the painting was shown at St Nicholas and was bought by Marc from Cheshunt in Hertfordshire. Thanks Marc!

The colour palette may look slightly different to the two previous coastal scenes that I’ve posted here in the last few weeks, but actually it is only the addition of a little Alizarin Crimson to some of the mixes that makes the colour shift from blueish to greyish. The foundation colours in all three paintings are Prussian Blue and Burnt Sienna.

2 thoughts on “Sun behind Clouds – another new watercolour”

  1. When viewing The West Norfolk Artists Association summer exhibition in King’s Lynn, I very quickly was attracted to this picture by its powerful tone of colour which created such at atmospheric feeling of a dissapearing sun.

    Without looking first to see who the artist was, i decided to give this my vote for best picture, and then saw it was one of Stephen’s, and again admired the skilful use of the Prussian Blue and Burnt Sienna mix with a little Alizarin Crimson. Very dificult colours to control, but Stephen’s masterful skill won through.

    I understand the picture was sold at the exhibition – little surprising.

  2. When viewing The West Norfolk Artists Association summer exhibition in King’s Lynn, I very quickly was attracted to this picture by its powerful tone of colour which created such at atmospheric feeling of a dissapearing sun.

    Without looking first to see who the artist was, i decided to give this my vote for best picture, and then saw it was one of Stephen’s, and again admired the skilful use of the Prussian Blue and Burnt Sienna mix with a little Alizarin Crimson. Very dificult colours to control, but Stephen’s masterful skill won through.

    I understand the picture was sold at the exhibition – little surprising.

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