This summer I was on vacation in France, making a stop at La Rochelle. I went bathing – it was beautiful bathing weather – and while I was splashing around I noticed those wonderful colors of the ocean. The sea was almost yellow, with some blueish topping having a faint note of violet.
I would hardly ‘store‘ these colors, especially this combination, in my mind if I wouldn‘t sketch it down while the memory was fresh. I knew that. And so I made a quick painting in gouache in my sketchbook after leaving the water.
I think the yellow comes from a reflection of the seafloor below me. Because since I was bathing near the shore, there was yellow sand on the seafloor underneath. The blue therefore must be a reflection of the sky.
But these are explanations I am only musing about. What stays is the neverending fascination for the colors that you see in nature everywhere!
