London-born painter Louise Chatfield channels her love of England’s coastline to create gorgeous semi-abstract paintings that celebrate the stunning play of light across land and water.
Take, for example, Looking Across the Water. This painting is a perfect example of how the atmospheric conditions of a place can greatly enhance a painting:
Louise focused on portraying the deep, glowing clouds for about two-thirds of the canvas, allowing the eye to be drawn around and down, touching briefly on the dark patches in the middle-right, before being swept up again into the sky.
That momentary glimpse of land, or rocks (or darkly-cresting waves, perhaps) is just enough to anchor the composition, creating both visual depth and contrast without giving away too much of the mystery of this wild and lovely place.
In this next painting, entitled Fields, Louise adds another element—texture.
Colors seem to drip and blend on the canvas, giving the impression of a truly rain-soaked landscape, but in the distance, bright hills rise up on three-dimensional furrows and ridges to create a sense of solidity even through the mist.
Last but not least, After the Storm transports us right to the shore, with turbulent waves and wet skies, yet a promise of bright calm in the near future.
I absolutely love the mix of deep blue water and bright white foam, set against the warm hues of golden sand and pink sky. Nothing compares to the sights, smells, and sounds of a thunderstorm on the beach, and this painting succeeds at bringing all of those sensations to life.
If you’d like to see more of Louise Chatfield’s wonderful, energetic paintings, please visit her website today.
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