Title: Sea Turn
Artist: Roger Deering
Medium & Materials: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 21.5" x 27.5"
This dramatic maritime landscape captures a sudden atmospheric “sea turn,” a coastal New England shift marked by changing winds that bring heavy marine fog and turbulent surf. The painting presents a churning Atlantic tide breaking against a rugged granite shoreline beneath a low, overcast sky.
Description
In “Sea Turn,” New England marine artist Roger Deering presents a visceral, texture-rich seascape on a 21.5" x 27.5" canvas. The composition places the viewer at ground level along a jagged coastline, close to the force of the incoming swell. A wall of dark, wet granite rises diagonally through the right side of the canvas, interrupting the forward surge of the ocean. Deering builds the cliffs with raw umber, deep charcoal, and burnt sienna undertones, giving the rock face a heavy, fractured presence.
The painting’s energy comes from its high-contrast treatment of moving water and sea foam. Across the left and central areas, deep viridian, teal, and aquamarine waves churn toward the rocks. Thick passages of titanium white and soft seafoam cream carve the crests into tactile ridges, suggesting spray blasting over the granite. Above the turbulent horizon, the misted sky is scumbled in pale gold, lavender gray, and muted peach, as if filtered twilight is struggling through descending coastal fog. The result is a forceful marine scene with a strong sense of movement, weather, and atmosphere.
Style & Composition
- Artistic Style: Classical American marine realism with textured impressionist handling.
- Composition Type: A high-energy diagonal layout, with the dark rocky headland on the right contrasting against the rolling horizontal field of white-capped green water.
- Focal Point: The central wave crashing into the granite, where bright impasto spray creates the strongest contrast.
- Color Palette: Deep viridian greens, teal aquamarines, and sapphire blues balanced by raw umber, charcoal, and a muted lavender-peach sky.
- Lighting & Atmosphere: Diffused coastal storm or twilight light filters through fog, shadowing the rocks while giving the surf a raw, powerful brightness.
Technique & Materials
- Brushwork / Mark-Making: Loose, gestural, and heavily layered, with thick impasto and short, choppy strokes used to build the physical volume of the crashing foam.
- Layering & Depth: Saturated green currents and raised white foam push forward, while the lower-contrast sky and haze recede into atmospheric distance.
- Tools Used: Heavy-body oil paint on stretched canvas, with stiff-bristle brushes for textured rock and foam passages, and finer brushes for crisp signature details.
Inventory Status: Available for purchase online or in the gallery.
Shipping / Pickup: Shipping is available, with items securely packaged in professional archival materials, insured, and shipped globally; complimentary local pickup is also available at our 23 North Main Street gallery.
