Grey Seal Youngster

Here is a quick little painting I did for my NemobySea blog, this painting was significant for me as this was the first time I ever photographed a seal at Minnis Bay. Seals are a rare sight along the coast where I am, so seeing or even sharing water space with them is very special.

One interesting thing to know about seal photography is if the seal is resting and looking directly at you — you’ve disturbed it. As much as you want to look into their big ocean eyes camera or phone in hand, try to resist and depend on us arty folk to try and evoke that wonder for you instead … you can check out further information about this painting here at NemobySea.

Jolly Jelly Baubles

With the glitzy Christmas lights overhead, and the gloomy water below I remember those life forms which for me are like the baubles of the sea. Although I was stung pretty good, swimming in the bays around Thanet have given me the cosiest memories to reflect on over the winter.

I wrote a lot about the different jellyfish I encountered in the North Sea, you can find a lot more information about them on my NemobySea blog.

The Fulmar Return

This is the perfect time to be posting about these guys, for most of the month of November I’ve been scanning the cliffs looking out for one of my favourite coastal birds and, this very morning, what do you know — THEY ARE BACK!

These flying trapeze, tube-nosed beauties often get overlooked as they are mistaken for gulls, but are actually related to albatrosses. We’re very lucky to have them nest here in Birchington as it’s one of their last nesting sites until Essex.

I painted this fulmar two years ago and it was a significant challenge for me being a white subject matter on white paper. If you wanted to learn more about this painting and the fulmar in general, head on over to NemobySea.com where additionally you can see what I look like in a swim cap (spoiler: really dumb!).

Herring Gull Heads for my Nemo by Sea Project

I have painted many local sea birds for my little coastal project, I used to struggle with them especially the beaks not looking right, but as the years have gone on, they have become my biggest inspiration and a great love.

Looking at pictures online compared to donning a pair on binoculars and looking directly at them has been a big awakening for me, I can’t quite express how I feel when I observe birds this way and whilst they slide down the blog, hidden away, I thought I’d bring a small collection back here to talk about.

If you’d like to see the original post for this piece, and another gully head I painted in a similar style feel free to visit my Nemo by Sea blog.

Yellow Wagtail Woes

I’ve seen the most incredible birds this side of the year, wheatears, avocets but the bird which set my heart on fire this month was the yellow wagtail. I can’t believe these birds exist in the UK and I can’t believe my eyes weren’t open until the ripe age of 33.

I wrote all about those little fellas on my NemobySea blog, and I wanted to do a pretty exciting piece of art to go with my enthusiasm, so inspired by my sketchy gulls I aimed for a similar styled wagtail — I don’t think it went well. It’s unfinished and probably will go unposted but I feel I atoned for my sketchy sins with a simpler (and much less time consuming) watercolour of him, check it out here!

Bitter Wanderings along the Coast

The winter has been brutal here on the South East coast of England, but there’s still some amazing things to see out there which I’ve documented on my NemobySea blog.

When I’m sitting in my hat and scarf inside my own home trying to keep warm, I often envy the plucky coastal birds hopping and skipping about, especially those happy go lucky redshanks which I’m excited to turn my brush to – stay tuned for that!

Bones and Jellies

The winter is wailing on us hard now, the late summer months are foggy to a lot of people, but not for me. Taking up wild swimming in the spring (still not sure if I’ve mentioned it!) has made my life so much more fulfilling despite the numerous jellyfish stings I endured.

Being in nature is far more powerful than I imagined, seeing and being a part of it all has been an awakening. I’ve found even more stuff on the bays too! To read more, head on over to my blog Nemo by Sea.