The Channel, acrylic on paper 21x15cm
The blues
At Anchor, acrylic on canvas 25x20cm
I am back in Port Hedland for two weeks of winter. It has been winter, it rained three days in a row. And it was cold. I have been sitting at Cemetery Beach painting the ships as they journey in and out of the harbor, and those at anchor. The challenges I have been faced with are numerous. I have noticed how quickly the tide changes (I was nearly swamped on two occasions), how quickly the sun heats up in the morning, and how quickly it moves through the sky. Light and tides changes more rapidly in winter here than at home on the peninsula. Acrylic paint dries out in the pallet before it is applied to the canvas.
The other notable difference between Port Phillip Bay and the Indian Ocean is the colour of the water. The bay is a variations of greens, turquiose and naples yellow. The ocean is blue, cerulean, cobalt, ultramarine, phthalo or midnight depending on the intensity of the clouds, position of the sun and the flow of the tide. Of course sometimes, in the afternoon when the sun is in the north, the ocean becomes as reflective as a mirror and emits an almost pure white, which you can tan yourself by. I should know, I sat there long enough to turn a delicate shade of pink.
I think we are all conscious of the subtleties of the environment that surrounds us, but it is not until experiencing completely disparate environment that those subtleties are truly brought to light. It has been a pleasure to finally be able to sit in this intense and desolate landscape and paint the ocean that has become so familiar to me over the past five years. I feel this is a very winter specific exercise for Port Hedland, as the thought of spending two hours painting in unrelenting sunshine over the summer does not excite me, but I do think next time I am here I will continue my studies of the Pilbaras light and colours with the intention of creating larger paintings in the relative comfort of my studio.
