Seascapes
Contemporary Suffolk Seascapes
Suffolk seascapes from a variety of studios
The seascapes of my native Suffolk coast continue to inspire me. Aldeburgh has always been a favourite location to paint at and I have worked in a variety of ‘studios’, firstly house-sitting for a friend for a couple of months every winter which was a fantastic opportunity as the house sits back from the beach with amazing views. For a few years I was fortunate to have access to the South Lookout Tower directly on the beach with a tiny studio at the top which has far ranging views north to Thorpeness and Sizewell, and south to Slaughden and Orford. The wide expanse of beach below and along the shore is occupied with people either walking, sitting, standing, in conversation or quiet reflection; couples, families and my particular favourite, a solitary figure within a vast empty space.
Relationship with the sea
I own a beach hut overlooking the beach at Brackenbury Cliffs in Felixstowe which is breathtakingly beautiful. The seascapes stretch away north to Old Felixstowe and Bawdsey, and on a clear day south all the way to Walton on the Naze. I love the sea, the sound of the waves crashing on the shore, and the colours and mood the sea presents in all weathers, calm like a mill pond one day and wild and romantic the next. I have a relationship with the sea which is very energizing and therapeutic; a figure or two painted in front of the sea reflects this and has become endlessly fascinating as subject matter for my paintings. Many of the smaller works seen here were painted directly from the subject and the larger pieces painted in my studio in Ipswich.