I started this sketch one evening last summer. Enjoying the warm colours of the landscape around me and the heat of the sun on my back, I sat on the beach just breathing it all in.
For a while I watched the people; a little boy and his Dad, a woman slowly inching her way into the sea with her friends, a man and his excited dog.
My attention is drawn to the stones. I love the way tiny things create something amazing, how a gazillion multicoloured little pebbles create a long amber beach. There’s too many to see them all, it’s too overwhelming so I just focus on one in particular, that special one that finds a place in my heart. It’s hard to resist the temptation to bring it home, so many pebbles speak to me, I can’t give them all a home.
While finishing the sketch today I looked back at the photos I took that evening. I thought I had somehow splattered the pictures with specks of white paint so I tried to wipe them away. On closer inspection I realised each tiny speck was a little glint of sunlight dancing on the watery surface of the stones.
Mixed media sketch. Text beneath the paint…
Tuesday 12 July 2022
Strete Gate Beach
Warm evening
Gentle breeze
21°C
Clear sky
Little boy squealing with delight and trepidation trying to get into the sea
‘Come in! Its really hot just here’
Dog chasing her ball
Glorious sunshine
Warm summer breeze
A rare day in the UK
Taking photos
Collecting pebbles
Swimming
Pebbles shiny from the receding sea
Wet feet peppered with tiny pebbles
Sticky feet squeezing back into shoes
Enjoying the colours of the evening sun
Watching. Waiting
Cheering as she finally feels brave enough to swim
