Seawash Ed. 1 of 20

My wife Emma and I love our beach walks, close to where the waves thin out and roll up the flat, wet sand. I am fascinated by the white crests, how these resolve into bubbling foam which finally disappears, sparkling and popping, into a glassy, see-through veneer. In turn, this is absorbed into the sand as it shimmers and glides back before the next set of rollers.

Emma were checking out the Avalon beach club and bar venue as a possible wedding venue for us. Afterwards, we went for a stroll along the water's edge.

Even though no two waves are identical; curiously on their own, sea waves and surf rarely tell you what beach or part of the world they belong to. Even if it could be anywhere, this painting is inspired by a wave at Avalon Beach, Sydney, in late 2021.

All my art is hand-painted and drawn to a blank page. These are not photographs. Fleeting moments in the natural and man-made world, across skies and screens, seas and city streets inspire my digital brushes, pencils, crayons, pens and erasers.

Please note: I am selling my digital paintings as PRINT ONLY. It is a 'print to order' arrangement.

As I do not keep stock ready to ship, please allow up to TEN (10) WORKING DAYS for delivery to you.

I recommend printing my artworks to stretched canvas - however, please let me know if you would prefer they be printed to an alternative material.

For framing, I recommend you use Bluethumb's framing services, your own preferred provider or www.frameshop.com.au

I have listed the size as approximately A0 because in my opinion, my work looks better as large possible for the resolution I work in, which is 7,425 x 5400 at 300 dpi.

I recommend two sizes of prints for my work, the displayed size of 118.9cm W x 86.5cm H (approx. A0) or the smaller size of 84.1cm x 61.2cm (approx. A1). I use www.frameshop.com.au for the canvas prints.

Frame depth (4.5cm) is provided from the preview at www.frameshop.com.au. I have estimated a framed weight of 7.2 kg for the A0 print, assuming it will be twice the weight of a framed A1 canvas I have at home (framed by Frameshop) which weighs 3.6 kg.

If you are interested in the smaller size (approx. A1) the price will be approx $1,150, to be confirmed with Bluethumb at the time of purchase.

I think the inspiration for this painting was the orange hues we associate with the beach and sand, but also the elusive patterns of white water and foam that slide forward and back into the next wave. A miracle of nature!

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Growing up in the inner-city suburbs of Sydney, I was good at art at school. But from my late teens on, I focused on other things; some creative, some the demands of career and lifestyle.
Half a century later, as my mother Pam predicted before we lost her in 2020, I’ve taken it up again with renewed passion.

Only a few years ago, there’s no way in the world I could have imagined myself drawing and painting again, and especially the way I do it now. The Apple Pencil and a big iPad changed all that (after a bit of a learning curve!). Sand and sea, water and skies, clouds, silhouettes and shadows call out to me, my brush and blank canvas. It’s like learning to see all over again.

My work is not photographic. I do not import photographs into or on to my canvas or manipulate photographs in any way. I paint and draw to a blank canvas, entirely by eye, looking at snapshots on my mobile phone as a guide. In a sense, it is flattering for my images to be sometimes mistaken for photographs, but I would prefer to have my work appreciated for what it is - digital painting, which should be valued for its skill of rendition, the same as any other artist working in natural media.

I have come to understand that the bigger my canvases are, the more obvious it is that they are paintings not photographs. It is wonderful that high resolution hand-painted digital images can be turned into large framed paintings - A1 or bigger in size.

To be honest, I’d love to get out there with a fold-up chair, easel, turps, sable hair brushes and wooden palettes (the messier the better!). But my lifestyle doesn’t allow it. If I see something, then - courtesy of my mobile phone’s camera - click, I have my subject. When I’m ready, it’s there.

For me, the main thing is feeling the pencil as it scores a line, or becomes an airbrush varying in thickness as I increase or reduce pressure; or watching and sensing how different brush shapes add, erase or smudge differently.

Yes the revelation is the sensation - the feel, the tactile joy of drawing and painting.