looks like a bluefish, only smaller

8x10 oil on board

I think this is the last beach painting of the season. The light on the beach is counter-intuitive, at least to me. You have the feeling, since the sun is overhead, that you are completely "in the sun". In fact, when you are standing, you are perpendicular to the sun, and only the top of your head and parts of your body sticking out are hit by the sun. The rest of you is in rather deep shade. Of course, ultraviolet light bounces around and you get sun-burned everywhere, but like trees which also are perpendicular to the sun there a lot of dark. Painters are familiar with back lighting, called countre jour ("against the day") in French, but this is top lighting. Moon light is often portrayed like beach lighting, but I don't think there's a name for this light on the beach. It's seen in beach paintings because people are out only in the middle of the day. Most painters don't like to work at that time of no cast shadows and not much value contrast in the landscape.

The guy is overly proud of his little fish, and I tried to get the slightly revolted gesture of the polite little girl -- head back and tucked in, arms held carefully away from the fish.

Getting Out

9x12 oil on panel

It's hard to  get out of the surf.  You have to come in on one wave and fight the backwash to beat the next wave which is going to crash on your back if you're not careful.  These two girls didn't make it but were unharmed.

Getting In

8x10 oil on board

Have you ever noticed the different strategies people use for getting in the cold ocean?  Some males just run in as fast and they can and dive through the first wave.  These young women chose the slow way, standing on tip-toe and keeping their arms out of the water as long as they can. 

 One of the things I find interesting about painting the ocean is the many different bands of greens and blues there are which you don't notice at first.