Turquoise and Gold, Sutomore Bay, Montenegro

On a recent visit to the beautiful country of Montenegro on the Adriatic Sea, I was captivated by this turquoise cove, with its rocks illuminated by the hot summer sun. I was painting plein air using oils, perched precariously on a cliff, and wanted to quickly capture its essential beauty in an succinct way. I used a combination of watercolor-like washes in thinned oil paint, and a few heavy impasto oil brushstrokes, in order to create an interesting contrast of texture on the surface of the canvas and bring the painting to life.