Suffolk Figurative Painter at her Beach Hut Studio

Suffolk Figurative Painter Delia Tournay-Godfrey shares some thoughts and images of her first days of painting at her Beach Hut Studio at Brackenbury Cliffs in Felixstowe. ‘After buying the Beach Hut unexpectedly last Summer and spending some time doing repairs I have finally managed to get the oil paints out and do some work! I can’t really explain the feelings I have as I park up and walk down to the hut, the light and air is so distinctive and it surrounds me, the space that opens up in front of me is immense; views stretch away north to Old Felixstowe and Bawdsey and south as far as Walton on the Naze, the enormous cranes and workings of Felixstowe Dock are diminished and look like tiny pinpricks on the distant horizon; all of this accompanied by the sounds of the ever-changing sea either crashing furiously or gently lapping on to the shore. Sometimes the beach is completely empty, lonely and melancholy, another day it is full of families enjoying the sunshine and more often than not just a few people wandering around, walking their dogs or enjoying their time on the Suffolk Coast; tiny figures occupying the vast space, couples, groups, walkers, solitary people. And then there is the architecture of the promenade, the breakwaters and warning posts standing guard in the sea; the railings and the shadows cast from all of these features creating endless possibilities for future work. I look and look for ages and gradually focus on one or two compositions, I know there is a wealth of material here for me to paint. For a figurative painter who works from direct observation it is complete joy!’