Cable Bay Magic
"Magic Day ay Cable Bay", Nelson (Original) 2024
Virginia Watson original landscape painting.
Dimensions: 920mm wide x 610mm wide. Unframed, painted around the edges.
INSPIRATION
Nelson's Cable Bay is a bit of a locals' best kept secret, being slightly off the tourist trail.
Tasman Bay and the ocean is precariously and somewhat awkwardly joined to a muddy tidal inlet, via a causeway that leads to Peppin Island. At low tide, it's blue on one side, and mud brown on the other.
A lot of my work celebrates either the humble tidal mud flat, or majestic New Zealand mountains. So this is the perfect composition for one of my works.
The greens give a sense of peace and tranquility, and the light, reflections, and turquoisy water are exaggerated to give a sense of the magic at Cable Bay.
The trees suggest the movement of the wind, and the spikey, starry cabbage trees are are just a New Zealand icon, so I had some fun with them.
And the ladies are good mates having a private a yarn out of earshot of anyone else.
I used a palette knife and impasto technique (lots of thick paint, slathered on) for drama, and glazing techniques (thin, brushed layers) for softness in the sky.