Chasing the Tide: Creating A Sea-Inspired Collection

The sea has always called to me. Its shifting moods, relentless power, and fleeting calm are an endless source of inspiration. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been mesmerised by the way light dances across water and how waves seem to carry stories from distant shores. Creating this sea-inspired collection felt like diving into those stories—an exploration of movement, texture, and the raw beauty of the ocean.

The Starting Point

This collection began, quite fittingly, on a windswept coastline. I was standing on the cliffs at Animal Flower Cove, Barbados, watching waves collide with the rocks, each one more powerful than the last. It was the kind of moment that imprints itself on your memory—the sound of crashing water, the salt on the wind, the energy in the air. It felt wild and untouchable, and I knew I wanted to capture that feeling on canvas.
Back in the studio, I began experimenting with colour and texture to translate those impressions into paint. Deep indigos, stormy greys, and flashes of seafoam green became my palette. I layered paint, scraped it back, and layered again, mimicking the movement and unpredictability of the sea. The process felt as fluid as the tide itself—never static, always shifting.

Capturing the Essence of the Sea

For this collection, I leaned heavily into texture to reflect the unpredictable nature of the ocean. I used more than just brushes—palette knives, sponges, and sometimes even my hands to create rough edges and sweeping motion. The layering process was key: thick, sweeping strokes for the underpainting, followed by delicate glazes and highlights to build depth and movement. One of my favourite techniques involves scraping back layers of paint to reveal what lies beneath, much like the tide receding to expose hidden patterns in the sand. This process embraces the same unpredictability as the sea itself, where no two moments are ever quite the same.

Sketches and Quiet Moments

The Story Behind Moon Over Sea

One piece that stands out for me in this collection is Moon Over Sea, which came together almost as quickly as the moment that inspired it. I was sitting on the balcony of the Regency Cinema in Redcar, looking out over the beach. A harvest moon hung low over the water, casting a soft glow across the sea and silhouetting the wind turbines in the distance. There was something magical in that scene—a quiet intensity that demanded to be captured. I rushed back to the studio, still holding onto the feeling of that moment, and started painting straight away. The piece flowed effortlessly, with deep blues and golden reflections falling into place like the memory unfolding on the canvas. That painting resonated with so many people, and I even received two more commissions from it—proof of the deep connection we all share with the sea and its endless stories.

A Celebration of the Untamed

At its heart, this collection is a celebration of the untamed. It’s an invitation to experience the sea not just as a peaceful retreat but as a dynamic, unpredictable force. Whether it’s the dramatic waves at Bathsheba, Barbados, or the soft glow of moonlight on Redcar beach, every piece holds a memory of these wild places—a reminder of how nature shapes us in ways we might not even realise.

The Journey Continues

This collection is a reflection of my connection to the sea, but it’s also a reminder of how the ocean’s power and fleeting moments of calm leave their mark—on the landscape, our memories, and the canvas. As this collection takes shape, I’m excited to share not just the finished pieces but the process behind them. It’s been a journey of discovery, one that will continue to inspire future work.

Many of my paintings start as quick sketches during coastal walks or time spent by the water. The Lake District, with its reflective lakes and ever-changing light, often inspires quieter, more introspective pieces. I’ll sit by the shore with a sketchbook in hand, capturing fleeting impressions—the ripple of wind across water, the way the light fades at dusk, or the contrast between dark clouds and bright reflections. These sketches serve as visual notes, but more importantly, they remind me how the sea makes me feel—calm yet energised, small yet part of something vast. That’s the feeling I try to preserve when I take those sketches back to the studio.