The Inspiration Behind My Brighton Seascape Art Series
Introduction
My Brighton seascape series is rooted in place, specifically the shifting, layered and often unpredictable environment of the Brighton coastline. These works are not literal depictions of the sea, but abstract interpretations of atmosphere, movement and memory.
In this post, I want to share the thinking behind the series, and how Brighton continues to influence my work.
Brighton as a visual landscape
Brighton is a place of contrast. The openness of the sea meets the density of the city, and the calm horizon sits alongside textured, often chaotic urban surfaces.
What interests me most is:
- The changing light across the water
- The movement of the sea against the shoreline
- The layers of paint, posters and graffiti across the city
These elements all feed into the visual language of the work.
Brighton Seascape Art Postcard – Seascape No.47 | Hand Printed Limited Edition by Ruth Egon
From observation to abstraction
Rather than painting the sea directly, I translate these experiences into abstract compositions.
This allows me to focus on:
- Movement rather than form
- Colour rather than representation
- Atmosphere rather than accuracy
The result is work that feels connected to the coast, without being confined to it.
The role of texture and layering
Texture plays an important role in this series. Brighton is a city built on layers—of history, materials and visual marks.
Through printmaking and painting, I build up surfaces that reflect:
- Weathered textures
- Layered colour
- Fragments of visual memory
This creates depth and a sense of time within each piece.
Brighton Seascape Art Postcard – Seascape No.46 | Hand Printed Limited Edition by Ruth Egon
The postcard series as small-scale originals
Alongside larger works, I developed a series of hand printed postcard artworks inspired by Brighton.
Each piece is:
- Individually hand printed
- Slightly different from the next
- Part of a limited edition collection
These works sit between print and original, offering a more accessible way to collect art from the series.
👉 Explore the Brighton postcard collection here:
https://ruthegon.com/collections/greeting-cards
Final thoughts
This series is less about documenting a place and more about responding to it. Brighton provides the starting point, but the work evolves through process, intuition and abstraction.