Aberech Beach April by Dermod Ruddock

Original oil painting on canvas by Dermod Ruddock

Size: 360 360mm

Aberech Beach is a glorious sweeping stretch of sand which reaches a couple of miles east from Pwllheli in North Wales. The bay is shallow and it's often full of families enjoying its safe waters... It's surprising how close the mountains of Snowdonia seem, and the far side of the bay towards Harlech and down to Barmouth and beyond. I wanted to paint this view after researching a much larger commission... The weather was amazing with beautiful sunshine at the sea's edge, but rolling clouds inland over the hills...

I loved the mix of colours presented by the sea, the beach and the sky. It wasn't the warmest day, but we enjoyed drinking a coffee sitting in the sun, and our collie Kyte loved the walk too. I often found subjects for my paintings when out walking with Kyte, and the key is to be constantly open to seeing a view differently - maybe with changed lighting, or in autumn instead of summer, or facing the way you just came... There are endless possibilities. 'Drawing is not what one sees, but what one can make others see.' Edgar Degas.