Last summer we went for a walk along the beach at the time of sunset and I have already made several watercolours using the reference pictures I have made that evening. After sunset we drove a bit further to see the harbour mouth, or the entrance to the Port of Rotterdam. We still were on the Maasvlakte.
At that time the tide retreated so there were not many ships in sight. Those that were visible were little spots on the horizon.
Much better visible are the Southern or Green harbour light on the side of the Maasvlakte and far away the Northern or Red harbour light on the Pier of Hoek van Holland. These colours could not be seen any more when we were there, it was too dark and they were back lit by the colours of the sunset.
The sun was already behind the horizon but the colours in the sky were still great. It was a calm day and we were very lucky to have such great views. This very calm atmosphere is what I wanted to paint this time and I chose a paper with a rough texture, so the colours of the sunset could blend better than they would have on paper with a finer texture. Because the scene was back lit, the foreground and the rock structure under the harbour light are dark masses without contrast or shadows. Both are made out of basalt blocks but that cannot be seen in the light conditions of the moment I was there.
As said, I wanted to paint a very calm after-sunset mood and I am happy with the result.
The information about the materials I have used, the size and availability of this watercolour painting can all be found in my Tumblr blog.
