Against the Tide. Painting

On a trip to Broadstairs we walked at night along the cliff top path towards Margate. The near-full moon gave the sea a silvery icing. I wondered whether I could satisfactorily render the light and atmosphere in a painting. Taking my subject matter of a small rowing boat fighting against a powerful tide from a book I had once intended to write, I planned an apparently simple composition of a handful of elements, the focus being on light and atmosphere. There is a suggested narrative but it is for the viewer to imagine what it might be. I took drawings of people in boats until I had an angle I liked. I took colour notes from nightime views across the sea at Broadstairs. I watched the way the waves caught the light of the moon as they strengthened towards the shore. i found faint hints of purple and green in the sea. There was gold too in the apparently silvery moonlit sky. A faint glow defines the land to the right. The colours and tones were very subtle. I am pleased with the result as it captures the mood, movement and atmosphere as I perceived it. I also like the hinted narrative.