i do like to be beside the seaside

After a couple of months in the mountains, it was time for some sea time on the north coast of Spain. We love the coast here - it's rocky and wild and there's the backdrop of the big mountains of Picos de Europa. This year we struck it lucky with the weather, with hardly any rainy days. Pretty much unheard of in these parts.

It's wonderful to paint seascapes after months of being inland. We don't live close to the sea in New Zealand either, so beach time, surf time, old boats and tidal estuaries are a wonderful treat.

In the month we were in Asturias and Cantabria I also did two outside classes, both on glorious sunny afternoons. The first class was a lovely old boat and it's reflection. The second a seascape of a beautiful cove with big, rocky islands.

Below are some of the scenes from our month ...

It was really hard to tear ourselves away from this place. We just needed to catch one more wave. And then one more. And then...