IN THE STUDIO - Felicity Flutter

The graphic designer turned watercolourist tells REBECCA BRADBURY how her endless fascination with water has led to an incredible body of seascapes and coastal paintings

- REBECCA BRADBURY

A high tide, a south westerly wind, fair weather and good visibility; not to be mistaken with the Shipping Forecast, these are actually the conditions needed for Felicity Flutter to capture the “best waves”.

These are the ones that occur when the sea is at its roughest and most ferocious. But unfortunately for the Sussex-based watercolourist, getting these uncontrollable elements to align, particularly with a bit of sunshine thrown into the mix, often proves elusive. “I tend to go down the beach when there’s a gale blowing, which is not necessarily when most people go,” Felicity explains. “One of the best storms we had was Storm Hector in 2018. It was fantastic as the sun was out at the same time, so I got all those parameters in one go, which isn’t easy.”

Keeping watch over a tide clock in her hallway, Felicity heads out at high tide, travelling a few miles from her home in a village near Rye to the East Sussex coastline.

The particular stretch of coast that the artist visits runs west from Dungeness past Rye and Winchelsea to the eastern edge of Hastings. Apart from her favourite part, where the cliffs rise up at Pett Level, the area’s topography is extremely flat, which might explain why such dramatic, rolling waves often take centre stage in her paintings.

Felicity hasn’t always created seascapes. Originally a graphic designer, she started experimenting with watercolours around 30 years ago and has since focused on a variety of subjects. It took moving to the coast in 2011 to fully unlock her passion for water.