Waves on the Cliffs

Afternoon light falls across dark coastal cliffs cut through with two small coves. White water curls around low shelves of rock before breaking into foam along their edges. Farther out, the sea shifts from clear turquoise to a deeper blue beneath a pale horizon. A few hardy plants grow between the stones in the foreground.

Putting together the horizon and the far headland gives the picture an early sense of shape. Inside the coves, brighter water can be separated from the darker open sea by following the bands of foam. Closer to the foreground, cracks, shadows and small patches of green help distinguish one stretch of rock from another. The trickiest pieces sit where spray, water and stone meet near the middle of the coast.