Ocean Village Sunrise
Painted on location in Ocean Village marina first thing in the morning in summer 2025, before the waterfront wakes up. The hulls of moored motor yachts are just starting to catch the morning light atop perfectly still water, their reflections soft and with the red-brick waterfront buildings catching the first warmth of the day behind.
Working on location in the morning gives a very narrow window to paint: at most an hour before the sun climbs too high and the light has totally changed. It also keeps a freshness of colour distinct to plein air work.
Painting on site
For this painting, I worked in Ocean Village Marina, near Banana Wharf, setting up quite early in the morning to get the first light on the scene. When working at this time of day, you need to be ready to catch the light as it comes - it only stays like this very briefly! A lot comes down to memory and working quickly with a large brush.
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