Saltburn-by-the-Sea

On a balmy 14°C December day, eating crab brioche on the terrace of The Seaview Restaurant in Saltburn-by-the-Seas, I drew a few sketches looking down the bay to Penny Hole. In a gentle curve of coastline a string of whitewashed cottages are tucked beneath the black strata of Huntcliff and Saltburn Scar. While the buildings initially caught my attention it was the grouping of the geographical elements that stayed with me. Returning to my studio I used a single sketch from the visit as a starting point to a collection of small scale (20cm x 20cm) paintings. The pace of the work was gentle and the pallet a wintery mix of cool blues, burnt orange and field green. An arced line makes an appearance in each painting which is becoming a recurring shape in my work. The paintings are finished with a high gloss varnish or medium which gives them a look of glazed ceramic.