Sunsets and Sunrises: Capturing Fleeting Moments in Contemporary Art
There is a profound and quiet magic to the transition of daylight. A perfectly clear afternoon sky can feel beautiful but the moments just as the sun breaks over the horizon or dips beneath it are when the British landscape truly comes alive. As a contemporary artist these are the fleeting luminous moments I love and I am constantly chasing. The intense warmth of a summer sunset or the cool soft pastel tones of a misty morning sunrise shouldn’t just be viewed they should be felt. A landscape painting is more than a copy of a physical place it’s an emotional record of light and shadow trapped on canvas forever. In this post I want to take you inside my creative process and show you exactly how I capture these brief windows of glowing colour and translate them into atmospheric layers of paint.
Statement Canvases: Focal Points and High Impact
There is nothing quite like the impact of a large scale canvas to completely transform the energy of a room. These large studio pieces are designed to act as true focal points, bringing the intense warmth of a British sunset or the soft glowing light of a quiet sunrise directly over your sofa, fireplace or bed. By working on a grander scale I can build up deep multiple layers of both texture and glazes with sweeping brushstrokes that change beautifully depending on how the natural light enters your room throughout the day.
Love the impact of a larger studio canvas?
I regularly collaborate with art collectors to create custom sized sunset or sunrise canvases tailored to the exact dimensions and colour palette of their homes but equally you might find exactly what you want by clicking the button below.
Small Canvases: Vibrant and Spontaneous
You do not always need a massive wall to welcome original art into your home. These smaller original canvases capture the same atmospheric energy and glowing light as my larger works but on an intimate and economic scale. They are incredibly versatile pieces of contemporary art, designed to tuck effortlessly into those smaller everyday spaces that deserves a burst of colour like a cosy reading nook, a hallway alcove or above a bedside table.
Best for: Entryways, open shelving, mantlepiece, cosy nook or styled as part of a gallery wall
Looking for the perfect intimate study?
These small original canvases make beautiful accessible additions to any collection. To see which sunrise or sunset studies are currently available from the studio click the button below.
Original Art on Wood Panels: Organic and Contemporary
Paintings sunrises and sunsets on solid wood panels introduces an entirely unique, earthy texture that you simply can’t get with traditional canvas fabric. The rigid, smooth or textured surface allows for more fluid brushstrokes while the various grains in the wood adds to the texture which quite often I leave to shine through the brushstrokes. These panels have a solid structural depth which takes a bit of getting used to when painting. They are wonderfully tactile objects that look just as beautiful standing independently on a surface as they do hanging flush against a wall.
Best for: Office desks, floating shelves or leaning casually on a mantlepiece and off course adding to an existing gallery wall or small nook with your choice of frame.
Drawn to the contemporary feel of wood panel art?
The organic nature of the wood ensures that each atmospheric sunset study is an entirely unique, unrepeatable object. To view other wood panel pieces click the button below.
Meet the artist:
I’m Mary an independent abstract and impressionist landscape artist. I’m based in London and my paintings are deeply inspired by the changing natural light and dramatic seasonal horizons. I build rich, blended layers to capture the emotional mood of a landscape. My original pieces hang in private collections around the world bringing a calming energy into homes and interior spaces.