After I moved to Port Stephens, just North of Newcastle in 1976, I became hooked on life at the beach, and that seaside move shaped my life.

As a self taught artist, I never did get around to having that formal art lesson. I did my first real painting when I was nine years old and just kept on painting. I was in my late teens when I settled into oil paints, which is still my favorite medium. My style of art is to paint in a realistic manner with a bias towards impressionism. Stretching the boundaries of the painting to capture the atmosphere and the feel of the environment from which the composition was birthed.

Just living by the sea isn’t enough for me, I have to be part of it. Swimming, kite surfing or just walking on the beach. All of these play a part in creating a greater understanding on how waves break and the effect of the wind on the form and shape of the surrounding beach landscape.

The seaside lifestyle has been the major theme in my art since childhood. I try to capture the ocean as a living, moving environment with its constantly changing extremes of mood, light and colour.

My paintings often feature well known landmarks and unspoilt beaches capturing the uniqueness and diversity of the finally balanced and beautiful Australian coastline.

 

William Dodds