Shi Shi Beach is an otherworldly place in the daylight. But in those liminal moments at first light, and nightfall it is utterely transcendent. On this particular night there was a full, flower moon rising in the east and this unbelievably bright object in the sky to the west. At first I thought it was a jet plane flying right at us, then wondered if it was a supernova or comet, or if it was a UFO or something. It turns out that is was Venus reflecting that brilliant moonlight and illuminating the darkened sea and towering sea stacks. We photographed until 10:30 pm but the moon never made it over the tops of the trees and the bluff in the east, then got up at 1:30 am and 4:30 am and never saw the moon.
I’m thrilled with this painting, and one thing that I particularly like is how it shows the last glowing bands of sunset in the lower right and in the upper left the crystalline night sky with hazy aubergine clouds and a million stars glittering in the night.
Close-ups Showing Detail and Texture
