Sandpipers, Alnmouth 1933

Winifred Nicholson made "Sandpipers, Alnmouth" with what looks like oil paint, and you can tell she was really thinking about the surface, the way the colours mix and the marks layer up to make the image. I love how the paint seems thin, almost watery, and you can feel the texture of the canvas underneath. Look at those little bird footprints, like abstract Vs trailing across the beach, they're so simple, but they really capture the movement and energy of the birds. The colours are muted, soft browns and blues, and it gives the painting a dreamy, almost ethereal quality. I think Nicholson was really influenced by the Impressionists, especially someone like Berthe Morisot, who had a similar way of capturing light and atmosphere with loose brushwork and a delicate palette. It's like she's not trying to create a perfect representation of reality, but more like trying to capture a feeling, a memory, or a fleeting moment in time. And that's what makes it so special.