Painting in Devon — Emma Dalton Studio

Early in July, I set off west on a road trip with my friends Ally & Amanda. We stayed in a beautiful spot near Saunton Sands & spent lots of time sunbathing and going to the beach. I fitted in painting where I could and undertook a mildly stressful beach painting trip - getting all the supplies from the car to the beach and back was definetly a group effort…[see below]

I was inspired by artist Joaquin Sorolla by his beach paintings which are magnificently alive with highlights and shadows. The way he captures light is so incredible and luminous.

Fig. 1 Image: Joaquín Sorolla, 'Running along the Beach, Valencia', 1908 © Museo de Bellas Artes de Asturias. Col. Pedro Masaveu

Fig.2 Ally & I ferrying supplies back to the car

Painting on the beach was a humbling experience. Luckily, I didn’t have to worry about getting my clothes messy though because I just wore my bikini and rinsed off in the sea afterwards. However, trying to keep the paint from mixing with the sand was a struggle. In the end, I gave in to the elements and the resulting paintings incorporate a layer of authentic Devonshire sand.

I set to work making some studies. One of the beach with the headland in the background followed by a painting of a beach umbrella and then a beach hut. The beach hut was the last of my paintings on the beach before we retreated from the sunshine for some chill time back at the house. I only managed to get in a quick underpainting in blue - which I worked into once I got back home - using a photograph I took as a reference.

I love painting from life because it feels like a direct response to a moment in time. When I’m in the studio - without the buzz of the outside world - I can feel stagnant and uninspired. I would like to find a way to work from these studies in my studio practice so that I can create more considered responses.

Fig. 4 “Beach Hut” once I had worked into it at home (from a photograph)

Building on my initial underpainting of this study felt like my first foray into developing my en plein air practice into something which can be built on in the studio. I enjoyed the process of piecing together images from my memory with photos from my camera roll and creating a finished piece which felt like more of a reflective response to an experience rather than an immediate expression of it.

Other than my beachside painting sessions, I also made a few studies of the view from where we were staying - overlooking vineyards and fields towards the sea. I brought some linen boards to work on so that I wouldn’t have large canvases to deal with and it was a great way of being able to make quick painting studies.

The above study “Over the vines” was the result of an impromptu painting session after returning from the beach one afternoon. The light was luminous in the afternoon sun and I felt drawn to capture it in that moment. At one point, I was going to rework this piece - adding in more detail to the fields and vines - however, I like how it is a direct reflection of that moment in time. In a way, it is a time capsule to that afternoon, sitting in the sun, painting alongside some of my oldest friends.

I love the little shepherds hut nestled between the foreground vines and the fields behind. The terracotta colour merges with the dried earth and colour of the drying fields behind.

Fig. 5 Amanda & I painting in the afternoon

At the end of August, my family and I are headed down to Cornwall (my Mum and I setting off a few days earlier with all my painting supplies) and I’m excited to continue my exploration of the landscapes of the south west.