2022 Plein Air Painting: The Illawarra Coastline

The Mission: To Capture the essence of the Illawarra coastline through three distinct paintings in a single day.

Location One: Morning Light at Austinmer Beach

"November 29th / The Mission: Three paintings in one day."

East Coast of NSW Australia about 73 km South of Sydney It's about 1 hr and 15 minutes drive down the coast.

I arrived at Austinmer around 9am, just as Shells Diner was opening for business.

I started the morning with a coffe before heading across to Austinmer Lif Saving Club to find a spot on the beach next to the cliffs.

The forecast is a top of 24C with low winds, perfect conditions,

looking out I could see the waves already breaking on the ocean pools: I knew I had a limited window to get set up and finish before the water reached my easel.

I began the study around 9:30, quickly laying down the composition and blocking in the sky and the foreground.

By the time I am half way through the finishing details, the waves were starting to lap at my feet and I had to move back.

I finish around 11am, just as some locals, dripping wet from their morning swim stopped to help me take a photo of the completed work.

From here, it's further South to Thirroul."

Second location: Thirroul

"Heading further South still, only a short drive to Thirroul."

I arrived at the Thirroul Surf Life Savings Club around noon.
After a quick look at the Beach Pavilion where you can sit down and have some lunch out of the weather and next to that is a free public pool with ample parking.

I set my sights on the end of the car park where a tall blue pump house stands against the coast.
It's now about 12 noon, I decide to work on a red acrylic ground I had prepared earlier in the morning.
As I laid down the composition, it became clear that once the sky was finished, the blue pump house would be lost against it-so I let that vibrant red show through to give the building the attention it demanded.

Nature had its own plans for this study, though.
Just as I was staging the easel for the final photo, a gust of wind sent the canvas face-first into the sand.
I guess you could call it "mixed media" now.
By 1:00 pm, after far too long in the sun, I packed up to head back North for just one more painting at Coalcliff.

Final Location: Coalcliff

Heading back North chasing the afternoon light.

I headed back along Lawrence Hargrave Drive, crossing over Sea Cliff Bridge that iconic cantilevered road that juts out over the ocean.
I finally arrive at Coalcliff Rock Pools for my final painting of the day.

I found a cool spot out of the sun, looking North across Pool toward the hills where the hang-gliders take off.

My challenge here was composition, figuring out how much of the pool to include in the foreground and how to compress those massive hills to make the scene fit.

I laid my first brush strokes down it's around 2:00 pm.

This was the most challenging study out of the three, but the chilling ocean winds gave me the drive to work quicker.

I finish nearly two hours later, just in time to beat the afternoon traffic.

With the help of some friendly locals for one last photo, the mission was complete.

Join me again for my next Plein Air Adventure.

"These three studies were more than just a day's work; they were an exploration of the Illawarra light that now lives in my larger studio works."

Will Pleli is a contemporary oil painter based in Sydney, Australia.

Specializing in plein air sea and landscapes, his works captures the raw, visceral beauty of the Australian coastline-from the iconic sea cliffs of the Illawarra to the hidden rock pools of the South Coast.

With a focus on light, atmosphere, and the physical challenge of painting on location, his art reflects a deep connection to the environment.

Wheter battling ocean winds at Coalcliff or capturing the vibeant architecture of Thirroul, each piece is a story of a moment captured in time.