Near the historic St Andrews Blockhouse, there's an outcrop of rocks - the Niger Reef. This outcrop of sedimentary rock was where the HMS Niger ran aground in 1866. I like to bring my students here because it illustrates the problem with tides - how the landscape changes dramatically in two hours thanks to the tides. (In two hours, the water level can rise or drop by as much as 8 feet.) One must work quickly to capture the reef before it "goes under."
Here's my view of the Niger Reef from this week. The lighting was very flat at noontime. You can't tell from the painting how big the reef is. If I were to do a larger painting, I would put in a figure or two for scale. You can walk hundreds of feet out to the very far end.
"Niger Reef, Low Tide"
5x7, oil, en plein air
"Niger Reef, Low Tide"
