Beach Villas, Barbados, oil on linen, 14x28in. (36x71cm)

Painting beach scenes in oils, in the Western Isles or the Caribbean, artist Robert Kelsey aims to give the viewer the sense of sharing his experience of the subject.

True to the captivating qualities and philosophy of the Scottish Colourists, whose work he greatly admires, Robert Kelsey paints with vigour and feeling to interpret a sense of place through the power of light and colour.

"Light is generally the most important quality," he says. "For me, the main interest and challenge of painting lies in capturing the particular translucency and clarity of light in different parts of the world."

Over the past decade or so, principally as a result of 12 successful solo exhibitions at Thompson's Gallery, Robert has established a reputation for sensitive and atmospheric oil paintings, and especially for his beach subjects.

"I've painted beaches and seascapes for more than 20 years," he explains, "but gradually they have become more welcoming, warm and sunny beaches, and so I often paint in tropical and Mediterranean locations as well as in the UK. It's that sort of atmosphere that I am after, preferably with crystal-clear turquoise water and stretches of soft sand.

"I like quiet, remote places, such as in the Hebrides and along the west coast of Scotland. One of my most memorable experiences was a visit a few years ago to Barra, in the Western Isles, where I have family connections. My father was born there in 1906. I was immediately overcome by the beauty of the island, with the vast flat beach, sparkling emerald water, and a huge sky.

"I also often visit Cornwall, where the light is quite different, while other familiar and interesting locations include Brittany, Sardinia and other parts of Europe, and the Caribbean."

Tonal sketches

Evening Clouds over Rhum, oil on linen, 30x34in. (76x87cm)

The majority of Robert's paintings are made in the studio and are developed from reference material collected on location.

"I never paint any subject that I haven't actually been to and experienced," he says. "Depending on the subject matter, conditions and location I might make tonal sketches or perhaps work on colour studies made in gouache or watercolour. And if I can drive to the location, and thus carry extra equipment, I sometimes make small oil paintings on prepared panels — usually with quick-drying alkyd paints. Again, I use these as studies for the more resolved, larger works in the studio.

"I also take a set of reference photographs of the subject. I think it helps to have as much information as possible if I am going to succeed in recreating the sense of place and the special atmosphere and feeling that I experienced when I was there.

Essentially, what I aim to achieve in all my paintings is to capture a certain moment in time: to convey the subject matter and mood in such a way that other people can share and enjoy the special qualities that inspired me to paint the scene."

For his exhibition paintings Robert paints in oils on prepared linen canvas. He describes oils as "the love of my life: they give me everything I need, especially regarding colour and tone".

Equally, oil paint encourages a spontaneous and bravura use of brushwork and, of course, it is a very forgiving medium. It particularly suits Robert's essentially alla prima style of work. "When I paint in gouache or watercolour I always feel restricted in some way," he says. "But with oils I feel totally confident that I can create whatever effects I require."

He paints on oil-primed Italian linen canvas, which he buys by the roll from Jackson's Art Supplies. The canvas is cut to size and stretched ready for use by his wife, Jean.

The paints are Winsor & Newton Artists' Oil Colour, working from a palette of Naples yellow, raw sienna, raw umber, Vandyke brown (which, with Winsor green, is used to mix strong darks), Winsor green (mixed with blues for painting water), oxide of chromium a green for landscape subjects), lemon yellow, cadmium yellow, Winsor red, Winsor orange, cobalt turquoise light (another colour for sea effects), alizarin crimson, permanent rose and quinacridone magenta (mainly for still life and flower subjects), cerulean blue, French ultramarine, ultramarine violet and titanium white.

Not all of these colours are used in every painting, of course. In fact the range of colours is usually quite limited. Sometimes black is added to the palette, but only for still life and flower subjects. It can be a good background colour, he says: a useful means of bringing out delicate colours — of flowers, for example.

Initial pencil drawing

Las Ramblas, oil on linen, 20X24in. (51x61cm)

Rather than adding an initial ground colour, Robert prefers to work directly onto the white surface of the canvas, to enhance the translucency and intensity of the subsequent colour effects. He starts with a pencil drawing; the amount of drawing depending on the subject matter. For most beach paintings, for example, he simply sketches a few lines on the canvas to indicate the position of the horizon, or perhaps the topography of distant islands, and any other specific features such as foreground figures or boats.

If the subject is more complex, as in Las Ramblas, (above,) and includes buildings, architectural detail and so on, then the drawing is more carefully considered and may take the best part of a day to complete

The drawing is sprayed with fixative to prevent it smudging and then Robert begins work with brushes and colour. For the beach paintings he works from distance to foreground.

"I will start with the sky," he says, "and concentrate on expressing its particular mood and light effect — for the sky influences the impact of the entire painting. With this in place, together with the horizon and any distant features, I can begin to see whether the painting is beginning to develop successfully in the way I intended.

"When painting an expanse of water I try not to focus on individual colours: dark blue, green or whatever. Instead I concentrate on the nature of the water itself, whether it is deep, shallow, rough, calm and so on. It's almost a Zen approach. If you think of it in this way it helps you believe in what you are doing and in turn this leads to more convincing and effective results. It helps you express the feeling and character of the water; its movement, translucency and other qualities.

"Next, still working forwards (and therefore further down the canvas), usually in a seascape or beach subject there is a lovely transitional area, where shallow water runs over the sand. Here again, by applying thin layers of colour over the white canvas surface, I can create the necessary translucent effect. And finally I deal with any foreground details, such as rocks, beach grasses and figures.

Sense of atmosphere

Young Beachcombers, oil on linen, 24X28in. (61X71cm)

"Basically I use a one-wet, alla prima technique, finishing areas as I go. As you can see from paintings such as Young Beachcombers [below], I try to keep the brushwork fresh and lively, which I think adds to the sense of atmosphere.

"Although success does have its pressures — with the need to produce consistently high-quality work for gallery shows, for example — I still thoroughly enjoy painting. Equally, I'm always excited to find new locations and new ideas. And, of course, one of the greatest incentives to paint is knowing that people can relate to your work and find it interesting and rewarding to look at."

This article is taken from The Artist, April 2008 issue.