I always begin with an acrylic underpainting, the seascape, the part of the process I love most. For The Tide Within, I stepped away from my usual palette. I normally bring pinks and neons into my work, but this time I was drawn to the blues and greens of the seascapes painted by local artists at Scapes of Art Gallery. Working in only these deep, tranquil tones was something new for me, and I completely fell in love with them.

Once the sea was painted, I overlaid a bold figure of a woman, as I do in all my work. Here, I drew her proportions in with white charcoal. Her pose is calm and serene, soft and feminine. Her eyes are closed, her face turned gently toward the horizon, and her hair becomes the ocean itself, flowing into the breaking wave at her shoulder. A sunset glows behind her, and a hint of pink still lingers in the clouds.

I named her The Tide Within because I love exploring the landscape within us all. I see myself reflected in nature so often, and with this painting I wanted to show that we can be both calm and wild. The two coexist. There is something so beautiful in the way we each carry many landscapes inside us, and the ocean's tide is like the ebb and flow of life: gentle and still one moment, powerful and crashing the next.

Medium: Acrylic and charcoal on 300gsm paper
Dimensions (W × H × D): 430 × 530 × 30 mm
Presentation: White frame, white matboard and glass.

Explore original artworks by Bianca Debartolo at Scapes of Art, The Entrance, Central Coast NSW.