San Diego Scripps Wave, 2026 by Ray Patrick — original oil painting — 2026.004.001

Subject

A single wave at the moment it throws, seen close and from the side, with the lip already curling over the open face. There is no shore, no sky to speak of and no figure — only the water.

Composition

The wave fills the whole panel on a rising diagonal from lower left to upper right, its crest cropped by the top edge. The hollow of the barrel sits just below centre and is the one still place in the picture.

Palette

Chartreuse and olive through the translucent face, where the sun comes through the water, against ultramarine in the shadowed trough and cold blue-white in the spray.

Handling

Thick and fast. The paint is dragged in long curved strokes that follow the water's own direction, and the lights are laid wet-into-wet so the spray breaks and feathers at its edges. The ridges stand up off the surface and hold the mark of the bristles.

Medium and support

Oil on board. Heavily loaded, with visible impasto and wet-into-wet blending. The board's edges are painted white, which frames the image and tells you the support is rigid rather than a sheet.

Signature

No signature visible within the painted area.