One of the Hottest Days of the Year… and the Perfect Place to Spend It
Some days stay with you forever.
Today was one of those days.
Mawgan Porth was glowing under a blazing Cornish sun. Families filled the beach, the sea sparkled from every angle and the tide quietly transformed the shoreline throughout the afternoon. It was one of the hottest days of the year, and I couldn't have wished for a better place to spend it.
Painting en plein air is never simply about reproducing a view. It is about spending time with a landscape, watching it change and allowing it to reveal details that can easily be missed.
The reflections moved with every wave, the colours shifted as the sun crossed the sky and even the shadows seemed to have a life of their own. Nature never stands still, which is exactly why I love painting outdoors.
At the heart of my Visual Awareness approach is a simple principle that has guided my teaching and artwork for many years… observation before assumption.
The more carefully we observe, the more we begin to understand. Whether I'm creating an original painting or teaching someone to develop their own artistic confidence, everything begins by learning to truly see.
Today's painting was created at Art at the Beach, Mawgan Porth, where I feel incredibly fortunate to spend so much of my time painting and sharing this beautiful part of Cornwall with others.
A special thank you also goes to the lovely gentleman who stopped to chat and very kindly took the photographs of me while I was painting. Those unexpected acts of kindness often become just as memorable as the painting itself.
After packing away my easel, I was more than ready to get home in time for Wimbledon and the football… proof that it's perfectly possible to enjoy both art and sport on a glorious summer's day!
Every painting tells a story.
This one will always remind me of sunshine, changing light, kind people and another beautiful day painting on Mawgan Porth beach.
I hope it brings a little of that Cornish sunshine into your home too.
