This week I went to the sea. It’s only a ten minute bicycle ride from my house.
I didn’t know how it would go though as it was one of those hit or miss days when the sky is very cloudy and dramatic which would be wonderful to paint and yet there is a big chance that at any moment it will rain and I’d have to quit painting and go home.
Luckily it didn’t rain.
But it was very windy and I almost lost a paint brush as my brushes started rolling off the sea wall.
But what an amazing experience to watch big waves crashing against the sea wall and feel the refreshing touch of sea spray on my face.
I did three paintings but the one I’m showing here is my favorite.
It’s almost a monotone painting with just a touch of light blue in the sky. And as I look at how powerful this small touch of color is in a monotone painting it makes me think that I should perhaps do more monotone paintings with a touch of one color in them. Never ignore your creative voice.
With the mountain I added some water to the top of it to soften that sharp edge and I think it gives it a more atmospheric and powerful feeling.
I also think some chance things went well in this painting and they might be hard for me to replicate such as the way I softened the mountain edge and the pattern of sparkles on the sea.
What I’m trying to say is that this painting is a one off.
Admittedly, it’s a bit of a rough painting but at the same time it captures so well the energy of the moment.
While I was painting this scene, I saw incredible light effects happening as the sun moved between the clouds. At times there was a thin horizontal strip of light across the sea which changed from a brilliant bright white to a murky orange green and then the sun would burst out even more and so powerfully that I had a vertical line of sparkling light coming towards me across the surface of the sea that made everything else dark. I didn’t try to capture such moments because they were so fleeting and so overwhelmingly powerful.
I should perhaps have added a ship as a focal point but I think the painting works well enough just as it is.
That’s all for now, Gareth.
Postscript
This story was originally written in August of 2014. I am editing it in 2022.
As I was looking at this painting and what I wrote, it made me think that I have to get out and paint more. Over the course of the last few years I’ve lost that get up and get out artistic drive I had.
Instead, I’ve retreated to the studio. And although I’ve done some great things in the studio, there is a special energy that you can sometimes capture in your artwork when you paint outdoors and I think this painting is one where I caught that special energy.
This painting also confirms something that I’ve been thinking about recently which is that the divine lies not in the perfect but in the imperfect. This is not, as I wrote, a perfect painting, it is in many ways very rough, but it caught something special and is probably a one off that I’ll never be able to replicate exactly. And I don’t say this to sell the work because it has already been sold.
It was one of those rare creations that sold pretty quickly. If only they were all like that.
When I think of Japan this is how I normally imagine the weather to be but there are actually 4 seasons.
Anyway, it was evening time and the sun was shining in a silvery grey sky. It was quite strange but beautiful and I regretted not having a camera with me.
I was determined, though, to paint that sky. So I rushed home, took a quick swig of juice, sorted out my art gear, and then I was off to the sea by bicycle in order to paint that sky.
Yet when I came out of the house that particular magic moment had gone and I was just looking at a dullish sky now as the sun had sunk behind the clouds.
But I was rolling so I decided to keep going and besides, I reflected, these sunsets can change if you hang around long enough.
In fact, quite amazing things can happen with an evening sky if you are patient.
So I got to my painting spot and I did the painting above. Although the sky was not quite so spectacular now I added some of that earlier magic that I had seen and produced a painting that I was very happy with.
Ironically, after I finished it the sky suddenly started becoming redder and redder until it lit up like an enormous flame.
It was glorious.
I took photo after photo intending to use them later in the studio.
I was so moved by this scene that I decided to do one more painting.
This was perhaps a bad idea as I had one very unhappy wife when I returned home. Well, there is the matter of my 2 year old daughter to consider!
I finished this second painting in the dark with a soft white moon above me. It was magical.
Postscript
This story was originally written in July of 2014. I am editing it in 2022.
I can’t quite recall this event now and I’m not sure if the painting shown here is the one that I first painted.
However, the reference to a beautiful silvery sky is what the painting here shows and I’m fairly sure that I painted it in 2014.
Moreover, it is such an amazing painting that I couldn’t help adding it.
I’m amazed that nobody ever bought this painting. I think it’s one of my best pieces.
Sadly, I couldn’t find the second painting of that glorious red evening sunset.
A few days ago I cycled to the sea and painted the sunset.
It was very cloudy and I didn’t know whether it would be a spectacularly colorful sunset or a dull one. It ended up being a combination of both.
There was some warm orange sunlight but it was soft and understated and accompanied by a lot of dull gray clouds. It was, though, very beautiful.
I added the boat to give a focal point and to give a feeling of epic size. Yet in actuality, I saw no boats or ships on that particular day.
After finishing this painting and on my return journey home, via my bicycle, it was a relief to discover that there are still strange river folk around.
On this occasion, it was an old man with his wife. He was wearing a bright shiny white tracksuit with a fluorescent lime-green band positioned diagonally across his back.
He was facing the river in a very dramatic manner and holding out in front of him a device that was playing enka music (traditional Japanese music) and singing along to it with complete abandon.
He had a beautiful voice. But as I was passing he stopped then hawked very loudly and spat. This spoiled the romance of the moment for me.
And, yet, the whole thing was simultaneously comical and entertaining.
There is a great deal of public hawking and spitting in Japan. The hawking is so loud that you can hear them in their houses in the morning doing it.
It’s not something you’d expect from a culture that is supposed to be quite reserved. I only saw some young people behave like that in England. They thought it was impressive, but it wasn’t the thing most people did in England. So now I’m curious about what it’s like in other countries.
That’s all,
Gareth.
Postscript
This story was originally written in June of 2014. I am editing it in 2022.
During 2013, I would often get on my bicycle and cycle to the sea.
It was just a 10 minute cycle ride.
And at the sea, I had a spectacular view of Beppy bay.
I would usually go at evening time and paint the sun setting over this bay.
It was a wonderful experience.
And here is a collection of the paintings I did of Beppu bay during that year.
I have no idea now what order I painted these pictures.
So I will show the one above first because it is my favorite.
I have the vague notion that when I painted this picture I was just playing around.
This is always a good way to be when painting because you relax.
And relaxing often leads to exciting things happening.
And for me this painting is really exciting.
It has a vibrancy that is much stronger than in my usual work.
I have tried to paint this picture again with the intention of capturing that vibrancy but I couldn’t.
But I will try a further time because I want so much to paint a sky with such vibrancy.
“A fishing boat returning home”
I am also very happy with this painting.
It has a lovely feeling of peacefulness.
It’s an unusual painting for me in capturing a moment after the sun has gone down.
Normally I paint dramatic sunsets.
And it’s almost a monotone painting except for a faint touch of yellow.
I like the composition of this painting.
Especially that cluster of clouds on the left hand side that slowly thin out towards the right.
And I like the “fluffy” edge of the clouds which gives a feeling of movement.
If you look at the composition as a bunch of abstract shapes then you can see how the boat is like a dark blob moving towards a bigger darker blob on the left hand side.
Looking at the painting in this abstract way gives me interesting ideas for future paintings where I can imitate that abstract pattern but change other elements such as the time of day, the objects and the colors.
“Rays of light hitting the sea”
For a long time I wanted to paint rays of sunlight hitting the surface of the sea.
It looks so beautiful and dramatic.
And I think this is one of my earliest and most successful attempts at painting rays of sunlight hitting the sea.
As well as the rays of light, what I also like about this painting is the delicacy.
Despite capturing a powerful moment this picture does it in a soft and slightly subdued way.
And I like those little ripples in the foreground and the slight change of color to a greenish gray.
As I look carefully, I can see that there are a lot of beautiful subtleties in this painting.
And, finally, this painting is very large and so I am also glad that it worked out.
Normally, it is much more difficult to get a good result with a large painting than with a small one.
“The final glow of evening”
And here is another painting I really like.
I am well aware that I keep saying how much I like each painting.
Perhaps it is becoming an annoying refrain.
But you have to remember these are the few survivors from a large number of paintings that got binned.
As for this particular painting, I like the limited number of colors.
It’s basically a monotone painting with a touch of yellow.
The yellow glow of the sky amidst those soft gray sweeping clouds and the dramatic reflection of the yellow light across the surface of the sea that is streaked with long gray shadows is beautiful.
I think the shape of the clouds has been painted very well and the final effect is extremely beautiful.
I also like that tiny fishing boat.
It’s tiny size helps create a feeling of vast space, even a touch of epicness.
“A beautiful day at sea”
This is a rather simple painting but I am very pleased with it.
The color palette is very limited consisting mostly of a warm gray, blue and black.
I like the misty background and the soft but dynamic feel of the clouds.
The ship is well painted and also catches the eye.
And there is a refreshing sparkle across the surface of the sea.
The only thing I am upset about is my signature which is too big and not very elegant.
I want to wash it out and redo it.
However, I won’t because there is a high chance that I will wipe out the paint underneath and thus spoil the painting even more.
“Ships at anchor”
I did several paintings of seascapes with big ships.
Luckily, I often see ships when I go to this bay.
There is a big steel factory by the bay called Shin-ni-tetsu and there is a regular flow of big ships going to and from this factory.
And the ships are sometimes anchored near the factory.
I think at the time I did this painting there were three ships at anchor.
I don’t know why I only painted two, especially as I think three would have been even better.
And I might add another ship in a future version of this painting.
But I am very happy with this painting.
I think the sky is stunning.
I love the intense colors and the shapes of the clouds.
For me, there is a feeling of dramatic beauty and vastness in this painting.
My only regret is once again my signature.
I wish it was smaller, simpler and less conspicuous like my present signature which is just the two initials of my name: “G” and “N”.
“Beautiful evening crossing”
Here is another painting with a big ship.
I like once again the simplicity of colors.
Essentially you have a warm red, a cool blue and the white of the paper.
And I am very pleased with the dramatic shape and softness of the clouds, the misty mountains in the distance, and the calm feeling of the sea.
But once again I am disappointed with my signature.
“Red evening glow across the sea”
This painting was an experiment.
And I think there is a slightly dreamy or surreal feeling about this image.
Perhaps one of the reasons for this surreal feeling is the intensity of the red across the surface of the sea.
It’s too red for a realistic image.
But I love it.
And perhaps another reason for the surreal quality is the softness.
Only the boat and the birds are hard shapes in this painting.
And as you look down from the top to the bottom there is a lovely transition of color and intensity.
At the top is a very pure blue, next a mix of that blue with white and a warm gray, then this sinks into a gray and this gray sinks into a very pure and transparent red and then this red becomes combined with lines of blue and finally the red fades into a very light red and the blue becomes more dominant and darker.
And finally I love the shape of the boat and its position in the painting.
Yet once again I can’t say I’m happy with my signature.
It’s too big.
“Evening grandeur”
This is my final painting.
And it’s a little different to the others because of the variety of colors and that touch of orange.
In most of these paintings I’ve used a very limited number of colors and no orange.
And sometimes I’ve been extremely limited with the color and made essentially a monotone painting with the subtle addition of just one color.
But in this painting there is a lot of color variety.
In the sky, for instance, there is a light purple, blackish gray, almost pure blue sweeping clouds, orange and a very light blue.
But even though this painting has more variety of colors than the others, it is like them all done with a soft and subtle touch.
And once again, like in a few of the paintings here, there is a feeling of vastness due to the tiny fishing boats.
I love this feeling of vast space.
Final word
I hope you enjoyed seeing these paintings of Beppu bay.
