No matter the weather, Azerbaijan-based artist Fidan Zaman takes to the shores of the Caspian Sea to paint the seawater and the sky. From dark, murky waters and gray clouds to turquoise waves and sunlit horizons, Zaman captures the beauty of the beach during all four seasons. Each seascape lives inside her sketchbook, but it becomes part of the landscape when she holds it up to the shoreline to photograph it.
The Caspian Sea's ever-changing scenery is rendered in swathes of acrylic paint across double-page spreads. Frothy waves are depicted with textured daubs of white pigment, while sunset scenes are beautifully described in soft gradients. The results are finished works that look like a snapshot of the landscape rather than a handcrafted painting.
Located between Europe and Asia, the Caspian Sea is the largest landlocked water body in the world with a total surface area of 371,000 square kilometers (143,243 square miles). Because of its huge size, the countries which surround it—Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan—have disagreed over whether to call the salty body of water a lake or a sea. But regardless of how it's classified, Zaman’s plein air artwork is an homage to its tranquil waves.
Scroll down to check out some of Zaman’s seascapes and find more from her portfolio on Instagram.
Artist Fidan Zaman takes to the shores of the Caspian Sea to paint tranquil scenes en plein air.
Each seascape becomes part of the real landscape when she holds it up to the horizon to photograph it.
Fidan Zaman: Instagram
My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Fidan Zaman.
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