Palos Verdes Beach, 2026 by Ray Patrick — original gouache painting — 2026.106.035

Subject

A rocky shore at low tide with a wave breaking across the middle distance, the headland running out behind it, and wet reef and tide pools in the foreground.

Composition

Three horizontal registers — reef, water, headland — with the breaking wave as a single green bar across the centre. The reef in the foreground is the most incident-filled part and the sky is given almost nothing.

Palette

An unexpected emerald in the wave face, set against lavender and pewter in the wet sand and a rust-brown headland. The sky is pale green-blue; the rocks near-black.

Handling

The wet reef is laid in flat horizontal strokes of lilac and ochre with the dark rocks stamped over them. The wave is one unbroken pull of green with white dragged along its top.

Medium and support

Gouache on paper. Matte and opaque. Unpainted margins all round.

Signature

Lower right, raypatrick, in dark brown over the sand, letters touching.