Blog

Komune Beach Bali – Black Volcanic Sand, Turquoise Sea and Surfing

Komune Beach is one of my favourite places in Bali. I love coming here because of the amazing contrast between the black volcanic sand and that gorgeous turquoise sea.

The sand is so dark and sparkly when the sun catches it, and against the bright blue and turquoise water it looks fantastic. As a painter, I'm always looking at colour, and this has to be one of my favourite colour combinations.

There are lots of beautiful beaches in Bali, but I particularly love the black sand beaches. They have such a different feel from the white sandy beaches you normally associate with a tropical island.

Komune Beach is also a great place to sit and watch the surfers. The waves aren't huge, which is actually what makes this such an enjoyable part of the ocean. They are a good medium size, with plenty of people out enjoying the water.

I can quite happily sit here for ages watching the surfers catching the waves. Of course, while I'm watching them, I'm also looking at the colours!

The black volcanic sand, turquoise sea, blue sky and white foam make such a great palette for a painting. I find myself looking at the beach and thinking about which colours I'd mix to get that particular shade of turquoise.

I often work in soft pastels, particularly when I'm painting plein air and want to capture a scene quickly before the light and colours change. My favourite pastels are made by Schmincke. They are beautifully handmade and the colours are just gorgeous. The only problem is that you really don't want to drop one! They are so soft that they can smash into a lovely little pile of pastel dust — which is rather heartbreaking when it happens!

Soft pastels are perfect for painting outdoors in Bali because I can keep things fairly simple. When I'm sitting on the beach in the heat and humidity, I don't want to be surrounded by loads of equipment. I can take my pastels, paper and a few essentials and get on with painting while I'm actually looking at the view. And in Bali, you need to work fairly quickly. The light can change so fast that the scene you started painting can look completely different half an hour later!

Soft pastels are also so much easier to take to the beach. I can sit down with my pastels and sketch the scene while I'm actually looking at it, rather than trying to remember the colours later. And with a view like this, I really want to capture it while I'm sitting right there.

The colours of the black volcanic sand and turquoise sea change constantly depending on the light, and that is something I love about painting outdoors. You notice little things that you might otherwise miss. This is one of the things I love about being in Bali. I seem to be constantly finding things that make me want to paint.

You don't even have to go looking for inspiration. It is just everywhere. At Komune Beach, I love the way the dark volcanic sand makes the colour of the sea look even brighter. Add the sunshine, the surfers and those lovely medium-sized waves and you've got a pretty perfect afternoon as far as I'm concerned.

No huge waves. No drama.

Just a beautiful black sand beach in Bali, gorgeous turquoise water, surfers enjoying the waves and me sitting on the beach with my pastels.

Pretty much perfect!