Like many things in nature, the sea is far from constant. One day, it can be placid and gleaming, whereas on another day, it can be volatile and severe. It’s temperamental, its moods sometimes shifting within the same hour, but that’s precisely what Scott Laurenson is drawn to.
Based in coastal Queensland, Australia, the artist has long created oil paintings of the ocean, capturing its distinct colors and contours. At times, his compositions radiate serenity, each ocean wave a translucent blue beneath a clear sky. Other times, his paintings are explosive, sea mist flying into the air as waves crash into themselves. His seascapes are as variable as the ocean itself, showcasing not only his tremendous range but his control over form and atmosphere.
“I love the tranquility that follows the storm and a remote corner of coastline on a bright summer day,” Laurenson writes. “That’s where I find my inspiration.”
These paintings are not just exercises in realism, but in texture. While working, Laurenson often employs tools other than standard paintbrushes, including palette knives, sponges, and gentle rags. A palette knife, for instance, can produce thick streaks of paint, ideal for foam, while sponges and rags can seamlessly smear colors together, resulting in a sort of gradient effect in water and sky alike.
This isn’t to say that Laurenson doesn’t manipulate paintbrushes, too. To create droplets or spraying water, the artist flicks the hairs of his paintbrush, stippling the surfaces of his paintings. For more dramatic moments at sea, he grabs a larger paintbrush and swings his arm, generating splatters almost reminiscent of Jackson Pollock’s.
To discover more about the artist, visit Scott Laurenson’s website and follow him on Instagram.
