Stage 2: I've finished roughing in the gull and have started painting the mud and water to a level of finish at the top of the painting. I shall conitinue in this vain down the rest of the painting and then end by painting the gull and it's reflection.

Black-headed gull
Stage 1: This is the start of a large oil, 34" square, of a black-headed gull on the expanse of rippled sand between Lindisfarne and the Northumberland mainland at low tide. To get to this stage took only a couple of days. Having roughly marked out where the sand ripples were to go I filled in the water inbetween, giving an indication of clouds reflected in the water at the top. All this has been done in thinned down paint. I've also started roughing in the gull.