The Feeling of the Sea

Jo Payne creates textured coastal paintings in oil using a classic notan as a starting point

- Jo Payne

One of the most important aspects for me to explore in my paintings is the interplay between the light and the dark. It is by focusing on that contrast that I find the atmosphere and dramatic feel that I strive for in my work. Whether I am going for subtlety, drama, or in any case atmosphere, the light plays such an important part.

My intention is to capture elements of the coastal landscape, rather than recreating any particular scene, to represent and not replicate. Those glimpses of light from beneath a cloud, the reflections in the pools on the beach created by the sky above, the shadows cast over the sea and on the land by the dark clouds, the horizons, the depth of color or palest gleam of the sea itself, the tidal effects, wide open spaces, meandering rivulets, all fascinate me. I am excited by these elements, and I enjoy allowing the process to unfold as I go along and show me where the painting needs to go.