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Emily Sara Rizzo talks about the portrayal of summer in art

AS the summer holidays approach and the memory-making begins, you may wonder how best to capture the essence of the salt spray and sunset moments that you’ve been waiting for all year. Maybe you’ll find that an Instagram photo dump, a polaroid picture or even a film camera can’t quite cut it anymore.

CAPTURE THE ESSENCE OF THE SALT SPRAY AND SUNSET MOMENTS

Let me turn your mind to paintings; though not the most conventional choice, perhaps they’re able to subtly portray the joys of summer in a way photography never can, and nobody, in my opinion, captures the English seaside in quite as accurate and whimsical a way as Samuel Thomas. I have to admit to some level of bias on this, seeing as the Norfolkborn artist finds his inspiration in the very same coastline that has been the staple of my summer holidays ever since I can remember.

ART IS ABLE TO SUBTLY POTRAY THE JOYS OF SUMMER

With a bold selection of vibrant colours and stark, sharp lines, the effect of Thomas’ artwork speaks to the bursting brightness and happiness of a beach break on the East Anglian coast. From silhouettes of the Cromer pier at dusk, to the rippling light of the oncoming waves, his recognisable style of acrylic on large canvas has been termed “The Art of Optimism.” As he often states, painting these stylised renditions of the world is all about “finding pleasure in escape,” a sentiment which seems fitting in describing both his art and the summer holiday feeling it encapsulates.

So, if you’re looking for a souvenir of the summer months that isn’t the sand you always find at the bottom of your bag, Samuel Thomas’ art makes the English coast a fantastical horizon of colour where the sun is always shining and the surf is gently lapping against the sand.