Description
Haar
oil on canvas
171.5 x 293 cm
2023
After a year of painting small works I embarked on painting the sea, starting small but eventually building up the size and finally making this painting. Haar is the largest painting I have ever made to date.
Haar is a name for sea fog which rolls in on the East Coast from the North Sea- traditionally used in the North of England and Scotland I have adopted it, as it happens to suit the Norfolk accent very well.
I painted it in reference to my photos taken while sea swimming in the North Sea which I used as a starting point for the structure of the waves. Quickly getting lost in the work I discard the photos and just go with what is happening on the surface, letting the paint decide where I go next. The painting took 3 months to finish.
It is an atmospheric painting with subdued colours, and soft highlights on the wave tops. So many paintings of the sea depict bright sunlight, with sharp light but when I swim at dawn the sea is often velvety, soft and subtly coloured in greys. My photos are testament to this, only if I photograph the sea facing towards the sun do bright highlights appear on the surface.
Painted on professionally stretched canvas, painting wraps around the edges.
** As this painting is so large it would be posted abroad in a crate. A flat rate of £500 has been set for shipping other than the UK.**
