Ocean Blue Impasto Painting: The Sea Breaks Open the Evening Light by Surreal Media

When you stand in front of this work, you can almost hear the surf. Row upon row of waves roll towards the shore, ranging from deep ocean blue on the horizon to foaming white at the crest. Above, dark clouds part and warm evening light falls in broad beams across the water. To the left lie layered rock slabs in rust-brown and ochre, and amongst the white caps, a few dark stones protrude from the water.

If you look a little longer, you’ll see the detail I love most of all: in one of the waves at the back, a narrow seam glows yellow, as if the sun were shining straight through the water there. And in the middle wave, a band of burnt orange glows, the same colour as the rocks, so that land and sea briefly merge into one another.

It began with the feeling of that one moment by the sea when the weather changes: restless yet peaceful, dark yet full of light. I wanted to capture that tension. The atmosphere is warm in the air and cool in the water, and it is precisely that contrast that gives the work its depth.

It is a digital artwork with the appearance of thick layers of paint applied with a palette knife. The foam seems to curl and every wave crest has texture, making the light fall upon it in an almost tangible way.

For anyone who misses the sea, or who has a place they always long to return to, this is a window to the outside world. I can imagine it in a living room or study, as a reminder of wind, salt and space. Or take a look at: "Marineblauw Abstract Schilderij: Stroom van Licht over het Water", a piece that captures the light on the water in a completely different way.