Subject -The Bunda Cliffs on the Great Australian Bight are the longest unbroken ocean cliffs in the world. My husband Barry and I were travelling back from Perth across the Nullarbor and pulled into one of the many lookouts for the Bunda Cliffs, off the Eyre Highway in South Australia. The view of the cliffs was stunning and Barry took some impressive photos on slide film (this resulted in greater contrast than seen by eye which had to be taken into account for the painting).

From this lookout the cliffs stretch over thirty kilometres to the east and stand about seventy meters tall (they totally dwarf the Twelve Apostles). The best way to view this scene is from the top, as in the source photograph. This emphasises the flatness and isolation of the Nullarbor Plain and the vastness of the cliffs along the Bight.

Equipment - Floor standing easel, table nearby, plastic document case for storing paint in freezer between uses, glass palette (glass chopping board with the picture peeled off) Liquin, De-Solv-it (available cheaply from Bunnings) for cleaning brushes and plenty of rags cut into manageable pieces. I like to paint on a quality stretched canvas because it has a nice “give”.

I prefer to paint with as limited a palette as possible because that way I achieve a more harmonious result. I put my glass palette onto a white surface so that I can see what my colours will look like on a white canvas.

The brushes used were: Bristle brushes from 1" wide down to ½". (Mont Marte Chungking flat are good), Taklon brushes ½" flat and small round,
soft wide flat sable for the seawater and glazing and small round sables for fine details.

Colours - Besides the ever present Titanium White, I used these colours for this demonstration painting:-

Process - As I had to create the illusion of the cliffs being very tall, I did several sketches before deciding on a square canvas. I feel this gives the composition greater depth and majesty than a rectangular format would have done. The view plunges down the big cliff on the left to the glorious blue restless waves that crash into the cliffs all the way to the far horizon..

I sketched the scene in lightly with willow charcoal, wiping out and re-adjusting until I was satisfied with the composition. Using a soft rag I then gently flicked off the excess charcoal before painting in my design lines with a runny mix of Ultramarine blue, Burnt Umber and plenty of Liquin.

Next, I washed in all the main colours, covering the whole canvas, concentrating on the darks first, then the lights. I always use the biggest brush possible and work very quickly so as not to get overwhelmed by finicky details. My main objective was to get the colours and composition in place and keep my painting "loose"

The problem now was to contrast the power and motion of the ocean with the massiveness and immovability of the cliffs. I made sure the crests of the waves created a pattern to lead the eye from the lower right hand corner in a big curve almost parallel to the pillar of the front cliff and then up the coastline to the very far horizon.

The sky has a lot of mauve in it, so I reflected some of that in the ocean colours. To add distance or depth to the water I used more Ultramarine Blue and a touch of Cad Red in the background and Alizarin Crimson in the middle and foreground. To add luminosity and transparency to the waves I created an aqua using Manganese Blue, Phthalo Green and White. I applied numerous glazes of this colour with a wide sable brush until I achieved the look I wanted. At this stage of the painting, the changes are subtle but very important.

The sky has a lot of mauve in it, so I reflected some of that in the ocean colours. To add distance or depth to the water I used more Ultramarine Blue and a touch of Cad Red in the background and Alizarin Crimson in the middle and foreground. To add luminosity and transparency to the waves I created an aqua using Manganese Blue, Phthalo Green and White. I applied numerous glazes of this colour with a wide sable brush until I achieved the look I wanted. At this stage of the painting, the changes are subtle but very important.

For the breakers and foam I used sometimes straight white, sometimes I’d tone the white with a touch of Yellow Ochre or Lemon Yellow. I kept the painting going as a whole by painting all over it - cliffs and water. As the painting progressed I made subtle changes to the sky, trying out what looked best. I was unhappy with the streaks of blue because they drew attention away from the cliffs and ocean so I changed the sky back to its mauve.

The tops of the cliffs undulate very slightly where they meet the sky, but I made sure the horizon line of the ocean (top right hand side) was absolutely level. There is nothing worse than a lake or sea running downhill. Getting the pillar of front cliff on the left to stand out from the cliff behind it was a real challenge. It had to be clear there is a bay between these two cliffs, so I added a cool light to the shadows of the cliff behind and warm darks to the pillar.

TOP TIPS

• Use De-Solv-it to clean most of the paint from brushes, then wash them with pure soap and water and give them a dunk in kerosene to stop them hardening above the ferule.
• If you have the room in your freezer you can just place your whole palette in there till next time, but remove any Liquin first. It does not freeze well.
• OR carefully scrape leftover paint into a lidded plastic document case to prevent paint getting on food in the freezer. This case also works well as a travel palette. Let your paints warm up for about 30 minutes before use.
• Work quickly with a big brush to keep your painting loose – details come much later.
• If using MDF board - seal it with solvent based varnish on both faces AND the edges. This will prevent moisture penetrating the board and eventually destroying the painting. This is most important if you sell your work and have a reputation to protect. Apply at least two coats of gesso.
• On all canvases apply an extra coat of gesso to give the surface extra tooth.