Bright Coastal Dune Impressionism
Dune Shadows #2 is an original 8" × 6" pastel-on-paper painting by contemporary New England landscape and maritime artist Sandra Kavanaugh.
This vibrant small-scale plein-air work captures the brilliant light and shifting contours of a coastal sand dune. Warm, sunbaked beach grasses catch the afternoon sun, while long cool shadows stretch across the sandy terrain, creating a lively contrast of light, texture, and atmosphere.
Key Details
Title: Dune Shadows #2
Artist: Sandra Kavanaugh
Medium: Pastel on paper
Dimensions: 8" × 6" vertical format
Subject: Coastal seascape/sand dunes and beach grass
Technical Details and Style
- Medium: Professional-grade soft pastels on textured fine art paper.
- Technique: Energetic multidirectional scumbling and quick linear edge work bring the dune grasses to life. Sharp vertical and diagonal strokes of ochre and orange build dense clumps of sea oats, while broad, smooth pastel applications shape the rolling, light-filled sandbanks.
- Style: Contemporary Impressionism with plein-air influence, emphasizing natural sunlight, coastal atmosphere, and the temperature shifts between warm sand and cool shadow.
- Composition: A vertical layout is structured around a dynamic diagonal slope. A dense ridge of beach grass divides the scene, revealing a glimpse of calm blue ocean near the upper-left horizon while broad sand hills dominate the foreground.
- Color palette: Pale peach, cream, and soft white highlights define the dunes, cooled by lavender and periwinkle-blue shadows. Canary yellow, glowing orange, and moss green accents brighten the wild grasses beneath a soft sky.
