Still Point, Low Newton

In this studio painting I have taken myself back to an early evening, drawing and painting in the dunes at Low Newton on the Northumberland coast, England. On certain days the clouds above the sea can have the most sublime complexity and colour. Here the clouds higher up catch the last rays of the sun whilst those lower down can be multiple shades of pink, purple and blue. The tide is low but on the turn, the waves just rippling slightly on the edge. A yacht anchored in the bay behind a reef swings as the tidal current turns, its mast reflecting in the mirror water. Dark fingers of rock reach out into the bay; a delta forms on the beach arising from water still draining from the sand. A calmness permeates the scene while a dead silent full moon rises facing the setting sun, a reminder that cosmic forces rule our lives at some level. As an artist working in nature I feel closely connected to these phenomena. As a sailor I’m tuned in to the subtle changes in weather, sea surface and tide. I live far from the sea but in my inland studio I am easily transported back to the coast and its constant state of change. One day I may live closer to it, but not here where property prices are understandably exclusive. Fortunately our rights of way are not quite so exclusive.

$3353

About the artist

Lionel Playford

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I am a painter of northern landscapes and of the sea. I'm an established artist in the north of England but I'm also known more widely with for example my TV participation in the SKY Portrait Artist of the Year competition.