Reef beneath

This painting is on a deep edged gallery wrapped canvas, stretched and ready to hang.

This painting is from my recent Reef series which I began after a snorkelling trip to the Great Barrier Reef in July 2018.  My aim in this series is to explore the essence of the spectacle under the sea, to capture the differences and diversity of this otherworldly place, which we rarely get to experience.  Sunlight falling on colourful coral, lightning fast schools of fish, the beauty in even the darkest seaweed all left their impression on me and here I've translated that onto canvas. I explored a muted palette in this piece to balance out the activity in the expressive brushstrokes, and to enhance the use of vibrant colour dotted throughout. I allowed myself the freedom to paint as I enjoy most - fast, loose and playfully - as I think the subject matter lends itself to this style.