All the colors of the rainbow can be found in the waves of the ocean. Opalescent Sea, original oil painting by Steve Henderson; licensed open edition print at Great Big Canvas.

The story of the oil painting, Opalescent Sea by Steve Henderson

The ocean isn’t blue, you know.

Although on a sunny, cloudless day, the expanse of the sea looks blue indeed, when you get close to the waves and look — really, really look — you see all sorts of colors.

And when the sun is gently setting, its golden rays blending into the translucence of the waves, you see everything from red to blue, from orange to lavender, from pink to green, all shimmering and changing from one second to the next.

Steve has spent hours walking the beaches of the Oregon Coast, listening to the gulls and watching the waves. As an artist, he is fascinated by the interplay of light, shadow, color, transparency, and movement on water, and in Opalescent Sea, he drew all of these elements together.

The painting itself has traveled from coast to coast in the United States, having been seleted by the American Society of Marine Artists for its prestigious, two-year national tour. Because of its integration of color, Opalescent Sea is the ultimate painting for the living room, because no matter what colors are in the sofa, there is sure to be one matching in the painting.

Even whitewater isn’t white — the waves reflect the light and colors of the sky above. Whitewater, original oil painting by Steve Henderson.

“I want people to hear the sound of the surf when they view the painting,” Steve says. “I want them to feel the movement and sense the vastness of space that is in the ocean, and experience a sense of freedom and release.”

Opalescent Sea, the original oil painting, is framed and available at Steve Henderson Fine Art. It is also available as a licensed, open edition print through Great Big Canvas.

Read and subscribe to the entire Start Your Week with Steve newsletter.

Check out Steve’s artwork at Steve Henderson Fine Art. His original paintings are affordable; his licensed open edition prints are even more so; and his Santa and Holiday works spread the joy of Christmas all year round.

If you are a manufacturer who would like to use Steve’s artwork on your products, please contact his agents, Matt Appelman (matt.appelman@artlicensing.com). You can see Steve’s Art Licensing page here.

We encourage you, also, to check out Steve and Carolyn’s products at Amazon.com:

Live Happily on Less: 52 Ways to Renovate Your Life and Lifestyle (paperback and digital book)

Grammar Despair: Quick, simple solutions to problems like, “Do I say Him and Me or He and I?” (paperback and digital book)