Painting “Rock Stack at Selwick”
Plein‑Air Painting – Acrylic on 300Lb Watercolour Paper
Selwicks Bay, Flamborough Head, East Yorkshire, England, UK
Battling the wind coming off the land, my easel nearly ended up in the bay below twice.
I could happily paint rocks, in the same way I could happily paint trees. There's just something about rock formations and trees, whether in groups or solo.
This painting is one of a few completed in the area. I'm a regular to the coves on the remarkable headland that is Flamborough Head.
It was painted while sitting on top of the cliffs overlooking Selwicks Bay, Flamborough Head, UK (The one with the light house). I hadn't been able to get down into the bay itself and found myself battling the wind on the top of the cliff. It had been a good painting day, so I was determined to make the most of the sunshine by completing another artwork.
An acrylic on paper Selwicks painting
Painted in acrylic on heavy watercolour paper, it captures something of the sense of tumbling land, with lots of movement in the contours. This whole area is constantly changing with the action of the sea.
The stack will have originally been an arch, that has now collapsed. There's quite a collection of arches along this coast.
Making paintings and prints of Flamborough Head could keep me occupied for a lifetime. There are so many picturesque views from on top of the cliff and down in the coves. Landscape art lurks around every turn.
Selwicks bay is a draw for all creatives
It's no wonder individual and groups of photography enthusiasts visit the location for lessons, and to bag a landscape, seabird, or seascape capture.
As an artist, I have an advantage over photographers. I can decide what to put in my picture and what to leave out. I can focus on the ripples and texture of the sea leaving the land sketchy, or vice versa for example.
More than this, art mediums lends themselves to capturing the elemental things, like the brisk wind the day I painted this artwork. I've emphasised the movement of grass on the slopes for example.
The experience of being at Selwicks, whether taking it in from above or within the cove is always exhilarating. It's the thing I'm often trying to capture in paint, rather than simply recording a view.
Being at Selwicks is always memorable, and part of that is the elemental contribution made by the weather. Doesn't matter if it's startling sunshine bouncing off the sea, or a bitter cold north easterly breeze sneaking up the cliff face to nip you unexpectedly at the top, it's glorious.