Torquay in the rain 2 - Oil painting

I am keeping up with my challenge for my 52 Weeks - 52 Works project . Here is this week installment.

In a recent post, I talked about a quick seascape study I did while in Torquay. I wanted to make a larger painting from the study I painted on location and I have now done so.

Torquay in the rain - Oil on linen canvas (35 X 27 cm) by Benoit Philippe

I took few reference photographs (I always try to take some as back-up), but they were not great as the day was grey and the rain was getting on the camera's lens.

I decided not to use the photographs I took and to work only from the study and from memory.

The format of the canvas and the board were similar. The format of the final painting was small enough to keep the "rough" aspect of the initial study (that would not work as well on a large canvas). To make sure I was not going into to much detail, I used mostly a No. 10 hog flat brush. By painting with bigger brushes while scaling-up the format, I could maintain the same feel as in the original study.

I toned the canvas with a flesh tone colour. I then sketched the painting directly with the edge of the brush. The composition was simple and putting in place the masses directly was not a problem.

There are few differences between the original study and the final painting on canvas:

• In the final painting, I showed more sky and less sea. I found it gave a better balance to the composition.


• The colours of shadows on the sea are richer. You can see traces of dark green and ultramarine blue.


• I used a richer mix with heavy strokes to paint the rocks and the ripples on the surface of the water.


• For the sky, I used glazes over the fresh grey paint. I added some clear highlights around the trees and the distant coastline so that they stand out.

I hope you enjoyed looking at this painting as much as I did painting it.

Torquay Seascape oil painting