Painting a Windy Day at Mawgan Porth, Cornwall
There are days at Mawgan Porth, Cornwall when the weather becomes as much a part of the artwork as the landscape itself.
On this particular windy day, it was the extraordinary clouds, light and sea that caught my attention. The sky was constantly shifting, the water reflecting unexpected colours, and the wet sand picking up beautiful touches of blue, mauve and soft pink.
Painting en plein air is about much more than reproducing what is in front of you. The light changes, clouds move and the tide never stays still. As an artist, you have to observe, understand and make choices about what matters in that particular moment.
This small original Cornwall seascape painting was created from that experience on the beach at Mawgan Porth. At only 12” × 9” × 0.5”, it may be a small artwork, but it holds a surprisingly big Cornish sky.
The sides are painted too, so the painting can be displayed as it is without necessarily needing a frame.
For me, this is one of the joys of painting the Cornish coast. You can return to the same beach again and again, but the combination of sea, weather, tide and light means you never really paint the same view twice.
Original artwork: 12” × 9” × 0.5”
Location: Mawgan Porth, Cornwall
Subject: Cornish beach, sea, clouds and changing light
Finish: Painted sides
