“Welcome and thank you for dropping in to view this original Masterworks oil painting ‘Light Flight’. We live a few minutes’ walk from a village situated by a tidal sea inlet, where occasional fishermen berth their boats, the subject of this scene. Scores of seabirds are attracted in, either by the chance of a scrap left behind, or shell fish hiding in the pools exposed by the ebbing tide.

SUBJECT –This painting is about colour and light. In those distant hills the coloured greys of the trees enfold intense, vibrant hues of the lower-lying fields. Set against them is the rich blue of the outgoing tide, its textures describing the movement of the water as it ebbs back out to sea. I am fascinated by the play of light catching flocks of birds as they swoop and soar; their patterns shown here against the low light of the sky, adding a sparkle to their flickering wings.

COMPOSITION –In my mind’s eye, I saw the placement of these swooping gulls as a series of flowing musical notes on a score – drawing the viewer’s gaze along the notes, echoing the flight of the dancing birds and on to the boat, the ‘anchor’ of the composition; where it is then drawn out again by individuals searching the sand looking for something to forage. The low sun casts dramatically contrasting light and shadow on the white boat and its reflection on the pools below. It also highlights those searching gulls and their reflections, as they wade in the shallows.

METHOD & TECHNIQUE – Exploiting impasto paint and traditional techniques, such as glazing, was key to the method for capturing this scene, one full of texture and contrasting light and shadows. Although the distant landscape is vibrant in colour, it is nevertheless rendered relatively darkly, so that light, catching distant objects (such as widows), can shine out in contrast. Impasto textures in the oil paint give structure to the water below, which was then overlaid with oil glazes to make it come alive with movement and to add richness and depth to the intensity of the blue. Further impasto lights on boat, birds and shoreline detail, were carefully added to capture the sparkling white highlights picked out by the low-lying sun.

As always, we thank you for reading and viewing, with best wishes from Eileen and myself,”

Paul Taggart

Artist : Author : Presenter : Producer