'Courage to Grow' — The Abstract Ocean Art That Almost Didn't Happen

Some paintings have a story behind them that goes beyond the colours. 'Courage to Grow' is one of those.

When I first began exploring abstract art last year, this board sat in my studio for a long time waiting. I had planned to paint a literal seascape on it — a proper representational coastal scene. And every time I picked up a brush, something stopped me. A block I couldn't quite explain. The literal seascape just wouldn't come.

So eventually I put the plan aside and followed my instincts instead. I let go of what I thought I was supposed to paint and just painted what I felt. And what came out were the colours that had been living in my imagination — those extraordinary teal and turquoise tones you find when you look down through crystal clear shallow water and see the world beneath. Sandy shallows catching the light in warm cream and yellow. Rich teal deepening into turquoise where the water gets deeper. Dark, mysterious brown and near-black forms where reef and seaweed lie beneath the surface.

Layer upon layer of colour in acrylic and then in oils on wood board — rich teal, luminous turquoise, warm sandy cream and deep dark reef forms all building up together until the whole piece felt genuinely alive.

The title came naturally from that experience. 'Courage to Grow' — because that's exactly what it took. The courage to abandon the safe approach and trust something new. To paint from the heart rather than from a plan. To follow instinct over habit. It felt like a real turning point in my practice and I think that energy lives in the painting itself.

This is seascape abstract art and wall art in teal for anyone who carries the ocean in their soul — and for anyone who has ever had to summon the courage to do something differently and trust where it leads.