With an admiration for the ocean and a penchant for painting, Sydney-based artist Vanessa Mae creates large-scale studies of splashing ocean waves. Using acrylic paint, she creates depictions of waves that are paradoxically both realistic and deeply abstract.
Each of Mae's larger-than-life paintings of waves is meticulously composed of layer upon layer of paint. As her favorite subject is the ocean, she predominantly works in a range of blended blue pigments. These sea-inspired jewel tones are beautifully accented by the white, green, and brown hues that represent sea foam, aquatic plants, and sand, respectively. Vanessa Mae also employs different techniques in her practice, and describes her detail-oriented, color-centric style as “semi-abstract, abstract and in some cases verging on impressionism.”
To Mae, art is as much about the approach and method as it is about the completed piece. She views painting each large-scale depiction as an escape, and is most content when she becomes fully engrossed in her craft. “I indulge in the painting and drawing process in an instinctive and limitless manner trusting the skills that I have developed to produce original works of art,” the self-taught artist explains on her website.
“Although ideas for my paintings come from many different avenues,” she continues, “I believe that in the end my creativity is inspired by personal experiences, feelings from within, memories and impressions from the ever-changing environment around me.” Both an exploration of nature and a means of reflection, each sublime painting is more than an aesthetically pleasing portrayal of the sea.
See Vanessa Mae's incredible paintings of waves below.
And to really feel the motion in these wave paintings, check out this special effects video created by Helene Ngoc Anh Nguyen of Infamous Studios:
Vanessa Mae: Website | Instagram | Facebook
