The coastal nostalgia behind my beachscapes

A story about my love of painting the beach and more so our human connection with it

For over 20 years, my family has been making summer holiday trips down to Surfers Paradise. It’s where my mother-in-law lives, right by the ocean. It’s a place filled with family rituals: festive celebrations, morning walks along the shoreline, sun baking watch the kids in the waves, sandy feet in thongs, and those quiet, golden hours as the sun starts to dip behind the buildings.

I’ve always been fascinated by how people interact with the beach. Some are lying still, soaking in the sun. Others are endlessly moving—kids running in and out of the waves, lifesavers watching on intently, couples walking hand in hand, surfers darting out to catch one last set. It’s a constant dance of stillness and motion.

These ordinary yet iconic moments are the heartbeat of my figurative beachscape paintings. I’m not just painting the beach—I’m painting how we fit into it. There’s something nostalgic about it. The way we lie back on our beach towels, huddle in the shade of bright umbrellas, the way kids dig with plastic spades, how the shadows stretch on the sand and the sun reflects off the water—it all feels timeless.

When I paint these scenes with a palette knife, I’m not aiming for photographic detail. I’m aiming for that coastal feeling. The knife lets me capture the light, the heat, the movement, and the humanity of those beach days. Every mark holds a bit of memory, and every texture speaks to the layers of life we bring with us to the seaside.

Want to see the beach through my eyes? See the original commissions I painted for Rockpool Residential Aged Care Pelican Waters or join me at a beach-inspired workshop →