Powell River, BC, Canada

The bright sun over Powell River in BC Canada creates a real challenge for any painter. Many people ask me how to paint a sky when you are looking right into the light. The secret is to leave the paper white for the sun and then use a soft wash of yellow ochre around it. This makes the sky feel warm and glowing. I then added cobalt blue and cerulean blue for the rest of the sky to show the clear air of the coast.

The beach and the rocks have a lot of dark detail to show the contrast. I used neutral tint and burnt umber for the dark rocks sitting on the sand. Notice how the shadows all point towards us because the sun is high in front. The sand was painted with a mix of yellow ochre and burnt sienna to give it that natural earthy look. I like how the dry brush strokes on the beach make it look like rough sand and stones.

For the water I used a very thin wash of viridian green and cobalt blue. It is important to keep the water light so it reflects the sky. I added some ripples in the water using a small brush to show where a stone might have dropped. A little bit of white paint was used at the very end to catch the bright highlights on the water surface. This helps the whole scene feel like a hot sunny day by the river.