Polignano a Mare, Italy

High cliffs standing on both sides of a narrow beach always create a powerful view. Looking down towards the calm blue water gives a strong feeling of depth and space. In this painting of Polignano a Mare, Italy, I wanted to capture the strong light hitting the tall stone buildings. The white houses sit right on the edge of the rocks, catching the bright bright sun above the sea.

To make the sunny walls look bright, I left the paper completely white in many places. Using the clean white paper is the best way to show strong sunlight in watercolour painting. For the clear sky above, I painted a smooth wash of cerulean blue. I made the sea a much deeper blue using ultramarine blue to show the water between the high cliffs.

Shadows give shape to the large rocks and buildings. I mixed burnt umber with cobalt blue to paint the dark cool shadows under the cliff edges. A gentle touch of viridian green shows the wild plants growing along the steep rock face. Down on the beach, warm yellow ochre and burnt sienna bring out the colour of the dry sand where two figures are walking.

Keeping the shapes direct and bold helps the entire painting look fresh and loose.

I've just finished a new watercolour painting of Polignano a Mare in Italy, and I wanted to walk you through my process in this video. This coastal town has some of the most dramatic scenery—those towering cliffs dropping straight down to a narrow beach create an incredible sense of scale and depth.

The main challenge with this piece was capturing the intensity of the Mediterranean sunlight. The white houses perched right on the cliff edge catch the sun so brilliantly that I knew I had to use the white of the paper itself to show that brightness. In watercolour, that's your strongest tool—leaving areas completely untouched is far more effective than trying to paint white on top.

For the sky, I kept it simple with a smooth cerulean blue wash. The sea needed to feel deeper and more dramatic, so I used ultramarine blue to create that strong contrast between the water and the cliffs. The real work came in the shadows—mixing burnt umber with cobalt blue gave me those cool, deep tones that define the rocky forms and make the whole composition feel three-dimensional.

I added touches of viridian green for the vegetation clinging to the rocks, and warmed up the beach with yellow ochre and burnt sienna to show where the sand catches the light. Two small figures walking along the shore help give the viewer a sense of just how massive those cliffs really are.

The key to keeping the whole painting feeling fresh and alive was staying bold with my shapes and not overworking any area. Sometimes the best paintings come from knowing when to stop. I hope you enjoy seeing how it all came together.