Coastal Cliffs II

‘COASTAL CLIFFS II’ was inspired after a long trip to the outback whereby upon returning home Candyss saw the cliffs on the Coast near home reflecting the rugged cliffs of the outback she’d recently visited. She decided to paint the cliffs and juxtapose the red centre cliffs with the iconic Australian coastline. This is not a particular place but rather an expression of memory from the many walks and drives all around Australia. For Candyss this painting is her quintessential Australia. Where the rugged red dirt cliff face meets the sea. She has used mixed media – iridescent pigments and sand and dirt – to create a highly textural and almost sculptural effect to the cliff face. To create the ocean Candyss used thin oil washes and then thicker impasto palette knife markings for the waves. There are iridescent pigments mixed in the paint to create unique colours and light through clouds over the horizon.
The painting process involves starting with this strong horizon line to create depth and a kind of expanded perspective, then using oil paint and pigments Candyss spontaneously follows her creative intuition using layers of thick paint, automatic markings, scratching out and a strong use of unique earthy colours building up an interesting foreground to create depth.