Seawall Shimmer

This is a view from Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island in Maine.  I visited there in October, to see fall colour with some friends. Another advantage to fall in the north besides fall colour is the lowered angle of the light.  The sun is lower in the sky and so shadows are longer and there is more bounced light, shifting colours in those deliciously pronounced shadows.  

I sketched these rocks in watercolour on location.  The lit surfaces of the rocks were bleached by the sun but in the shadows the colours were highly varied and appealing to a painter.  They created a great frame for the sparkling water. I painted this again in the studio in oil to show the dazzling light on the water as it was framed by the rocks and tangled tree growth.   

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Update: Awarded an Honorable Mention in the Oil Painters of America 2023 Spring Online Showcase

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This is an oil painting on panel. 

Here is the plein air watercolour: 

See it in more detail here: https://www.poppybalser.com/workszoom/4865838/backlit-shore-colour-study#/

This painting is available from the gallery below. 

$775 CAD