Mixed-media painting
- Acrylic paint
- Goldleaf (artificial)
- Sand
- Gravel
- Air-drying clay
- Texture paste)
About Finding Santuary
This vibrant mixed-media painting captures the exhilaration of kayaking through ocean surf, where turbulent waves meet the hidden world beneath. Bold sweeps of ultramarine, crimson, and turquoise dance across a textured surface built with sand, gravel, and clay, whilst touches of gold leaf catch the light like sun on water.
Four fish shelter beneath the energetic surface, embedded in the painting's layers. They represent the living ecosystem that exists below every paddle stroke, a reminder of the precious, fragile marine world that supports our joy on the water. This isn't a painting about what's lost, but about what's there, thriving beneath the wild beauty of the waves.
The title reflects both the refuge the fish find under the turbulence and the ocean itself as sanctuary: a protected space, a place of vitality, and for this paddler, a source of pure joy. The textured, layered surface invites you to look closer, discovering new details with each viewing, just as the ocean reveals its secrets to those who spend time in its embrace.
Learn more about the development of this painting on my Journal
