Reflections on the nature of Water- Observations from a holiday at the sea

Crystal clear water, rolling ferociously toward the smooth silky sand, crashing against ankles and calves in a miniature tempest of foam and suspended seashells in its turquoise depths. The gentle roaring as the waves gain momentum, churning up sea grass from the depths of the shoreline.

The sea is magnificent, a system both infinitely peaceful and extravagantly untamed. Wild even in its tranquility. A prism of blues and greens, ever changing, both opaque and transparent. It is no wonder that artists have been enchanted by it since the beginning of time. I am no exception. Each year I run, equipped with my camera, toward the beautiful coastline of Italy, 'recording' the patterns of the waves in my mind, etching the colours upon my memory.

Corona created a break in this habit separating me from this source of inspiration last year. But August afforded me the chance once again to go and replenish my stock of inspiration. We traveled south along the eastern coast. While others swam I took note of the changing colours, content and transparency of the water. Matching it to the blue of the sky and the warmth or coolness of the sandy beach. and of course taking as many photos as possible.

These notes, observations, and photos make up a body of information which I hope will inspire my painting for the coming year. A year which always begins with the start of school. Today I thought I would share a few of the images with you.

Here is water with quite a bit of sand suspended in it- I am intrigued by its golden colour.

The turquoise of the water is in stark contrast to the 'Königsblau' of the sky. The sky's colour is reflected on the surface of the sea.

This murkier water is full of life. I sketches several types of of see weed, photographing them to record their colours:

As the water moves from blue to turquoise I am impressed that the eddies are the colour that would be achieved by mixing in white.

Moving further south the water becomes more intensely blue while the sky lightens and becomes airier. The intensity of colour is not the same as the transparency.

Though bright blue it is quite clear.

The sands lighten as well.

This particular sand seems to be rounder and less sticky than others, more like a coral sand. It also holds its shape.

The water here is a turquoise containing more green and it completely transparent.

Rocks appear especially interesting under its glass like surface.

At the southernmost tip of the 'heel' of the 'boot' two seas meet, one green and one blue. Here the coast is rocky and full of caves. the water is deeper. The green is a light bottle green.

The smoothness of the sand allows the water to create thick lace like patterns as it slides back into the sea to greet the next incoming wave.

As the evening progresses the waves increase in frequency and with them the level of sand that is suspended. This gives the foam texture as it hits the shore.

The sun reflection creates a flat sheet with very little colour.

These are a few of the observations gleaned from this trip. I look forward to incorporating them into upcoming work. It is amazing how much there is to see when we actually take the time to look.