I Do Like To Be Beside The Sea

Gorgeous breath of fresh air Thea, just what we need as summer is waning, love your colours, just enough details and love their smiling faces, you have managed to show the complicated saddles and bridles with your lovely loose style and you captured the donkeys ears flicking back as they amble along just like they would doing, lovely work with a real yesteryear feel to it, no donkeys or ponies left on our beaches anymore !

Thank you very much, Ros, for your very kind comment. It was tricky to decide how much detail to put in and how to convey rather boringly coloured things like saddles in a more interesting way - but playing with the colours is the best bit about painting for me.

Thea, this is STUNNING - it ranks as one of my favorites in your gallery (and I have many)! A gorgeous painting capturing a very British scene, with a beautiful palette, great composition and glowing washes, everything a good watercolor should be. I agree with you, it's such a pity that such idyllic scenes are a rarity these days.

all those legs... well done you for all that complicated sorting out. lovely reminiscent painting.

Thank you very much, Seok, for such a lovely compliment. It does matter what you think about your own paintings, of course, but the icing on the cake is when a viewer finds some merit in what you have produced. So confidence building - so I am grateful to you for your feedback.

Thank you very much Sylvia. Actually, I will make you laugh when I finished the painting, I did actually count all the legs to make sure I hadn't forgotten any! So easy to do when they all cross over each other.

Lovely watercolour Thea, transparent, glowing washes and a charming subject. I agree with Seok, one of your best.

I am a great counter of fingers and toes. always when I do a figurative drawing I spend some time counting didgits....I have been known tohave fours and sixes.

This is just gorgeous!

Another beauty Thea, beautifully painted. I really like the composition

What a beautiful painting, Thea! It's light and bright with a wonderful feel-good atmosphere. I love it!

Thank you so much Stephen, Helen, Wendy, Petra and Lionel for such positive feedback. It makes it all worthwhile when viewers like a painting, so I am very grateful for all your kind words.

A great wave of nostalgia came over me when I saw this one, bright and breezy, just lovely!

Not my sort of subject so I am all the more jealous of your skill in depicting the scene.

Thank you very much Debs and Michael for your kind comments. Michael, it was a new subject for me as although I have done horses before, there is a world of difference between race horses and seaside donkeys!

A painting full of warmth, happiness and charm........beautiful Thea.

Thank you so much, Fiona. It is really nice of you to leave such a positive comment.

I love this Thea! Such a happy scene depicted by your distnictive touch and palette.

Just love this Thea, Children and Donkeys, great combination.

Thank you very much Avril and Karyl for your very nice comments - very much appreciated.

wonderful nostalgic painting. I agree that it is one of your best.

Isn't that just wonderful Thea!! Nostalgia of the past, carefree days, just children, water, riding,games and picnics. Everything is there in your lovely watercolour. Congratulations! I haven't read the other comments yet because then there wouldn't be any words left for me but will do it now.

Thank you so much Dawn and Satu - lovely comments and very much appreciated. Satu, I am looking at the original of the painting as I write this (I have a noticeboard above my computer where I put my latest work so that I can assess it) and I have to say that happy images, which remind one of past enjoyment, do have a lovely calming effect. I must try and paint a few more jolly ones, I think, to counteract the stresses of modern life!

I've been AWOL again so it was a joy to log in and find this delightful reminder of summers past. Such clear bright washes, full of light and sunshine, you just go from strength to strength Thea :)

Thank you so much, Val. Ah - as for going from strength to strength - a lovely compliment, but some paintings (like this one) just go right from start to finish. I bet there will be about 10 now that won't if my track record is anything to go by!

Hi Thea. Although looking at the POL Gallery almost every day, it is not often that I log in. But this is definitely a good reason for doing it: a stunning painting!!! If they stil did the Top Ten of the Month works, I am sure that this would be at the top. Amazing, Thea!

Mia! How lovely to hear from you! I do miss you on the site and seeing your beautiful work. I am sure a lot of others on here feel the same and would like to see more of the 'old guard' posting again. We seem to have lost so many wonderful artists over the last year or so - such a shame. Anyway, thank you so much for such lovely words of encouragement. I keep battling on, trying to improve, so your approval is very welcome and very much appreciated.

Fun and fresh and a reminder of my childhood Thea! The highlight of going to the sea side was the donkey ride.

This is lovely!

Thank you so much Sarah and Lorraine for your very kind comments. I think I only had one donkey ride on the beach in my life - it was at Paignton, near Torquay. I remember all the sand was red and my woollen bathing costume was very itchy when wet. I remember being terribly excited that the hotel we stayed in actually had a swing in the garden - couldn't believe my luck. How times have changed!!

This isn't you then? lol. Your childhood memories sound a lot like mine, I never got to go on a donkey but I remember the uncomfortable swimming costumes! What a delightful painting this is. The facial expressions and postures are excellent and all those donkey legs! Good title as well, well done!!

Thank you so much, Louise - really glad you like it. All those memories of childhood almost forgotten, but one photo or painting can bring it all flooding back.

What a brave subject to tackle Thea, and you've brought it off with humour and virtuosity! The children are really interacting and you've managed to bring out the donkeys despite the donkey-coloured sand. One quibble: I'd have varied the shadows slightly and painted them together with the hooves in one stroke.

Thank you, Kim, I always find your feedback very valuable. Re the shadows, you are absolutely right. However, I did do them at the same time as the hooves but just didn't link them enough. At the end I really wished I had done that, but was loath to mess with the shadows for fear of affecting the freshness of that part of the painting. Something to remember next time. Charles Reid said 'aim to solve one problem in every painting' and my problem was exactly as you spotted - donkeys and sand very close in colour and tone - so that was the big one for me. He also (thankfully, lol!) said 'mistakes are inevitable and add character' - that's a relief, eh!