Still Coast

A calm and meditative mid-century modernist coastal landscape that captures the hushed stillness of an estuary unfolding beneath a pale, overcast sky, executed in oil onto canvas.

A winding shoreline curves gently through the composition, guiding the eye toward distant headlands softened by atmospheric haze. On the right, a cluster of slender, darkened trees rises from the embankment, their vertical forms providing a striking counterpoint to the broad, horizontal calm of the water and shoreline. The scene feels suspended in a moment of winter quiet: timeless, contemplative, and deeply serene.

Executed in a restrained modernist style, the artist has reduced the landscape to essential forms and tonal relationships. The composition balances abstraction with recognisable geography, allowing negative space and subtle tonal shifts to carry emotional weight. The muted palette – comprising soft greys, chalky whites, warm taupes, and earthy browns – enhances the sense of stillness, evoking coastal light diffused through cloud and mist.

The brushwork is confident, with broad, sweeping strokes used to suggest water, sand, and sky. Areas of dry brush and lightly textured paint create gentle variation across the surface, while darker, more defined strokes anchor the composition and introduce structure. This interplay between softness and structure reflects the modernist pursuit of mood and form over literal detail.

This oil on canvas is housed in a complementary frame finished in a muted champagne-silver tone. Both the painting and frame are in excellent vintage condition.

Size: 46 x 72 cm (including frame)