This seascape is inspired by Piha Beach in West Auckland, New Zealand. I used to live and work in Auckland but I'd get down to Piha whenever I could to get photo reference for seascapes.

This is a little painting of Piha where I wanted to emphasise the wild sea, but make the location recognisable. This small painting served as a colour study for a larger canvas painting. I love doing small paintings and they look great in frames.

In this blog post I'll show you my painting process.

https://steemitimages.com/DQmQv8iUrSnyecVPtJor5UbigUsAagphBMvBYFmKDpinjda/IMG_0472.JPG

Piha Wild Sea, 8" x 10", oil on wooden panel.

This is one of the reference photos I used.

https://steemitimages.com/DQmfDMxH1es9pRdEqhs8r5xy84vqcTVFKcqwTrAeVVL5TEw/IMG_4348.JPG

The following photos are of my process of painting this seascape.

I start with a base of burnt sienna which I allow to dry before I start the painting. I always start a painting by blocking in the sky, which I mixed using cobalt blue, cobalt teal, ultramarine blue and titanium white. I mix the clouds with a combination of ultramarine blue, burnt umber, quinacridone magenta and titanium white.

https://steemitimages.com/DQmPWn3KtH8wV6JgnugGfcGsEjrsiTUjCK8MNVjDq1MbvEY/IMG_0467.jpg

I use the same colour combination for the distant cliffs and Lion Rock on the right. I mix a very desaturated green for the distant cliffs.

https://steemitimages.com/DQmZHeyx6w2D4AtvzhNhqmrqhUc9daacq7QEEdgu3Uwj18C/IMG_0468.jpg

I increase the saturation of Lion Rock in the mid-ground and I use earth tones such as burnt umber, burnt sienna and yellow oxide for the highlights on the rocks. If the colours are too saturated I can knock it back with a bit of ultramarine blue.

https://steemitimages.com/DQmfT1rFhJA8yPeJECkHDBZUU9yG7GHT4h6VsPtRZt7i4aj/IMG_0469.jpg

I paint the translucency of the wave with cobalt teal a little pthalo green and titanium white. The main body of the wave is mixed with more ultramarine blue, a bit of pthalo green and burnt umber. The foam is painted with the same colour combination I used in the clouds. Using similar colours throughout the painting makes it more harmonious as the colours coordinate better.

https://steemitimages.com/DQmXnGNacx3tomMgPRjWtcnHWDxEpL2QVPGMb4HFjjKcqc6/IMG_0449.jpg

I'm in the modelling phase of the painting, refining the sea, painting the reflected light on the breaking wave.

https://steemitimages.com/DQmfBuGTCYppjAj1DxjFPazXF8uKSTEmTmPmrHgbtBnjaWF/IMG_0453.jpg

I paint the foam patterns on the breaking wave which really adds drama to the painting. I paint the highlights of the foliage on Lion Rock and as it's in the mid-ground I desaturate the green a little. I mix desaturate green with yellow oxide, ultramarine blue and titanium white, and then to turn up the colour I start adding cadmium yellow deep and pthalo green. Go easy on the pthalo green, it's really strong and can quickly overpower your mixture.

https://steemitimages.com/DQmX78DdsZYrrxfLasgc7CAfhEZZxrPSzexS8SWJFnDUvGw/IMG_0462.jpg

I add the final highlights to the sea saving my lightest tones until last, this makes the painting pop!

https://steemitimages.com/DQmX78DdsZYrrxfLasgc7CAfhEZZxrPSzexS8SWJFnDUvGw/IMG_0462.jpg

This was another reference photo I used for painting the breaking wave.

https://steemitimages.com/DQmPCVLKj8mvxDEq4dGMfztGeqJUenZjaDHPosZrRXPoEGB/IMG_4424.JPG

I hope you like this blog post, I have more paintings on my website: samuelearp.com