Written by Amelia Pontifex
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As a former scuba diving instructor, Alanah Jarvis knows the healing benefits of water all too well. Spending much of her time growing up around water either paddle boarding, swimming, working on boats or scuba diving, Alanah’s connection to water is part of her. She has translated her love for water into art, specifically oil painting, where she can in many ways give back and share her love for the ocean with others.
Alanah Jarvis
As a mum of 3 kids under 6, Alanah knows the importance of teaching kids swim and ocean safety. She’s proud of her contributions to the ‘Swim it forward’ charity that every sale of her work donates to. The charity help fund swimming lessons for children of low income families.
“It’s so important that we learn swim safety and how to swim from a young age because it is an essential lifelong skill. Through my art I want to convey both the beauty of the ocean but also its power. We need to learn to swim to tackle the waves but it’s also so important so we can appreciate the oceans beauty.”
Listening to the Sea | 152 x 102cm, Oil on stretched canvas
As an essential element to sustain life, water and proximity to water has immense benefits on our wellbeing, mind and overall health. It sustains, hydrates, cleanses and purifies. It is not only the literal seascape that Alanah’s works’ portray but her works are imbued with all of the healing and health benefits that water possesses through them too. Just like being submerged in water, Alanah’s approach to her works is totally immersive.
I’ve Finally Done It | 91 x 61cm, Oil on stretched canvas
“I can’t explain how I paint. There’s no starting from the bottom or top or no starting with darker colours first, there’s definitely no routine or structure, apart from listening to the same music every painting session, building up many layers over the weeks to create a real sense of depth and transparency in the water.”
From Sea to Sky | 122 x 92cm, Oil on stretched canvas
Alanah often will vary the perspectives from which we view her works, whether it’s from the perspective from the shoreline looking out or from within the water and mixes up whether we are looking at the water from a close or long range. As viewers we can read these works as both focused details and as larger details – whether we see a ripple or a large wave, often we can interpret the image how we would like to. There’s also often a sense of space and temporarily that we can play with in our imaginations. Our imaginations can take over through these works and can even evoke a full bodied response to smell the ocean, the warmth of the sun and the cool water on our skin.
Purple at Sea | 101 x 101cm, Oil on stretched canvas
“I love to hear that when people look at a seascape, they think of breathing in the salty air and listening to the sounds of the water soothing their mood. It’s important to me that art has a meaning and to bring the ocean into your home along with all the mental health benefits.”
Perspective | 204 x 89cm, Oil on stretched canvas
The ocean also has a very contagious energy. Alanah has found that though her love for the water and expressing it though her art, she can pass that love onto her kids who now also love the ocean.
“Many of us have such strong nostalgic memories around water; the calmness that it can evoke and those emotions of tranquillity, space and timelessness. The ocean also puts everything into perspective, it’s so vast and so powerful that it often puts a lot of life’s problems or challenges into perspective.”
Rewards at Sunrise | 152 x 102cm, Oil on stretched canvas
Alanah will often start with her own photography of the ocean as her basis. Often just a guide to capture concepts or colours, she will grab a snapshot of the essence of how the water is looking on a particular day and then begin painting.
“It’s all my own ideas and going out in the early mornings, noticing the colours and how quickly they can change, the pinks or the black lines you can see, a little like how Van Gogh would go out and capture those moments. They will all fade and disappear in a second so while I can, I need to be out there to capture it and capture that mood too.”
Summer Days down the Coast | 103 x 103cm, Oil stretched canvas
Alanah originally worked with alcohol inks but then changed to work with oils for their silky blending abilities. With oil, she feels that she can capture the depth of colour, the movement and play with tones and shapes.
“I really want to try to capture the movement, the fast and the slow, the troughs and the peaks, the highs and the lows. In the peaks, if gives more colour of the deeper below whereas the troughs show the sky, colours bouncing and reflecting, sometimes a pink or a purple. I find that I can capture these elements and the colours best with oil.”
Summer Nights | 155 x 61cm, Oil on stretched canvas
For art in a space, Alanah’s purpose is to make art with meaning. Homes should be a sanctuary, a safe space, that is a relaxing and has everything you love in it.
“Artwork plays such an important role in the home, obviously surfers, boaties and people who love the ocean are my kind of people, and I hope to get that need for calmness and space into the home.”
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