The Quiet Magic of Coastal Light: Inside My Shimmer Series
When you walk by the coast, there’s a moment when the light suddenly shifts. The water glitters — silver, gold, sometimes both — and everything feels suspended in time. My goal as a painter is to hold those shimmering moments on canvas so they can live on in your home.
Why shimmer?
For me, shimmer is more than just light on water. It’s memory. It’s that instant when a beach walk feels like forever, when the air holds warmth and joy, when the sea reflects a story that belongs to everyone. These are the moments that stay with us long after we leave the shore — and they’re what I love bringing to canvas.
Collectors often share that shimmer paintings feel nostalgic and remind them of family summers, vacations by the ocean, or simply the sparkling rhythm of waves. That emotional connection is why shimmer resonates so deeply.
How I create shimmer paintings
Each piece begins with a warm toned underpainting — usually a soft salmon mix that gives everything a quiet peachy glow. On top of that, I build layers of cool coastal blues, soft greens, and warmed whites to build the play of light.
My brushwork shifts depending on the mood:
Broader, bolder marks in the water to suggest sparkle and energy.
Softer, transparent passages to show stillness and atmosphere.
The result is a balance of texture and calm — just like standing at the shore, where the eye dances between detail and expanse.
Introducing That Summer Feeling
My latest work, That Summer Feeling, is a high-key impressionistic seascape filled with light. It captures that expansive, joyful shimmer of long summer days — water glistening, sky opening, and the sense that everything slows down under the coastal sun.
This piece is part of my ongoing Shimmer Series of impressionistic seascapes, a collection designed to bring the poetry of coastal light into collectors’ homes.
Why collectors love shimmer
Art isn’t just about subject matter; it’s about how it makes you feel. What makes shimmer paintings so special is the way they hold both light and memory. The glow across the water creates atmosphere that feels alive — luminous yet calming. At the same time, it stirs memories of familiar coastal moments: beach walks at dusk, summers by the sea, the hush of evening tide. And though shimmer itself is fleeting in nature, on canvas it becomes timeless, preserved in paint long after the light has faded.
For collectors, this means a shimmer painting is never just décor. It becomes part of their story — a piece of the coast carried into their home, reminding them of places they’ve loved and moments they want to hold onto.
Explore the series
If you’re drawn to coastal light, I invite you to explore the Shimmer Series. Each piece is rooted in real places — from Florida’s Atlantic beaches to the harbors of New England — but painted to capture the universal feeling of shimmer: light, memory, and atmosphere woven together.
[View That Summer Feeling]
[Explore the Shimmer Series]
