Mawgan Porth, Cornwall, Watercolour and Mixed Media

Mawgan Porth, Cornwall copyright Vivien Blackburn

watercolour, charcoal pencil, coloured pencil, oil pastel

This is a lovely beach on the north coast of Cornwall, just a couple of miles from where I lived as a child. The light on the wet sand and pools is beautiful and constantly changing. A small stream comes down the steep valley and joins the sea here, skirting the edge of this cliff. Steep - very steep - narrow roads lead up each side with hairpin bends making driving interesting when you meet a bus or lorry :)

This is the morning light - the cliffs opposite were lit with a honey/amber glow in the mornings. In the afternoons they were shadowed and darker, almost silhouettes where the rocks are dark. The cliffs reflect in the pools.

Down near the low water line there's a pattern of pools very close to each other and quite deep - up to 2 feet deep - carved out by the crashing waves. I remember these well from childhood - when paddling you could suddenly find the water that had been up to your waist was suddenly nearly up to your neck!

I like rocks :) I much prefer these wild beaches with their dramatic cliffs and rocks and pounding surf to the quieter beaches with sand dunes.

I still can't persuade the slide show of waves to behave so I'll post those another day.

Has anyone else been painting at the coast?

.