Painting the Sunny Harbour in Crete, Chania

I hope you are all well and having a lovely week. I wanted to share a recent watercolour painting I did of the Nea Chora Fishing Harbour in Chania, Crete. It's a beautiful, sunny spot and I really enjoyed trying to capture the bright light and the lovely colours of the boats and the water.

When I started this painting, I focused on getting the feeling of the strong sun. I used some burnt sienna and yellow ochre for the warmth on the buildings and the light-coloured ground. For the sky, I kept it quite light with a wash of cerulean blue at the top, letting it fade down to white closer to the horizon. The real fun was with the water and the shadows, which I made nice and strong using darker blues and a bit of neutral tint to give it that deep, clear look. I love how the light hits those white boats, making them pop out from the deep blue of the harbour water.

Getting the boats right is always a bit tricky, but I like to keep them loose and simple. You can see the blues and the shadows underneath them. I also put in some greens for the trees up on the bank, a mix of viridian green and a touch of yellow to show the bright Greek sunshine hitting the leaves. These colours contrast nicely with the pale yellow and white of the buildings sitting behind them.

I think the key to this one was making sure the shadows were dark enough to really show off the brightness of the sun. See that strong shadow on the pathway to the right? That helps make the white buildings and the boats feel much brighter. It’s all about contrast in watercolour! This painting is for sale, so please do contact me if you would like more information about it.

It's a great example of how simple shapes and strong light can make a really pleasing painting. I hope this gives you a few ideas for your own painting session this week.