I went to stay with a painter friend in Tuscany last month. After a few rainy days in the mountains we found some sunshine by the sea in the beautiful Sestri Levante. A traditional Italian town with earth coloured houses built right up to the edge of the stunning 'Bay of Silence'. I made these two studies of the water from the same spot above the beach.

This painting is all about the water.  So many colours, such subtle shifts from one to the next and all gradually melting into that soft green-blue at the bottom. I enjoyed every single brushstoke as I soaked up the warm autumn sunshine and listened to the waves: plein air painting at its very best! 

The sun was dropping quite quickly by the time I had finished my study of the water in the ‘Bay of Silence’ at Sestri Levante. I turned to look out towards the open sea and found the light shimmering on the surface, a few boats dotted around and a great silhouette of the church on the headland.