Salt White, Wind Purple by Olga Kataeva-Rochford

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The colors of the photograph might be slightly different from the original.
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Artwork comes with an certificate of authenticity, signed by the artist.

Original artwork description

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As the day draws to a close, the harbour at Étel changes very quickly.

The boats are still clearly visible, but their colours are beginning to blend into the water. On the other side of the harbour, the Lola of Skagen becomes a long, dark silhouette against the last glimmers of light in the sky. Closer by, a small red and white boat catches the last of the evening light.

It is this moment that I wanted to capture in *Twilight Layover*.

The painting was created directly in the harbour, based on what I saw before me rather than from a photograph. The scene is simple, but the light kept changing: the pink and pale orange lingered on the horizon whilst the water gradually turned blue — first a greyish blue, then a deeper, cooler blue.

The colour of the little boat became particularly striking against this transformation. Its red is no longer merely the local colour of the hull. In the fading light, it becomes a small, warm interlude in an increasingly blue world.

The same is true of the white. It is no longer simply white. It takes on the colours around it — the blue of the water, the pink of the sky, a little warmth left by the evening light.

The whole image is built around this gradual shift.

The pencil lines remain visible through the tempera and gouache. Some outlines are sharp; others dissolve into the painted surface. Reflections stretch across the water, interrupted by the movement of the boats and the irregular rhythm of the brushstrokes.

The result lies somewhere between observation and memory. The harbour remains recognisable, but it is not static. The more the light fades, the less distinct the boundaries between the boats, the water and the shore become.

Lola plays an important role in the story behind this painting, but one need not know her to engage with the image. She is simply the distant presence that anchors the composition, whilst the small boat brings the scene closer to the viewer’s gaze.

What remains is a very simple moment: the boats moored for the evening, the harbour growing quieter, and a few colours that do not quite fade away all at once.

More details

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Substrate and Material

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Substrate »

Canvas · Paper

Material »

Gouache · Tempera