Abstract paintings of Salcombe that show why we love the drama of the British coastline

All too aware of the threat of climate change and biodiversity loss, Elaine is keen to celebrate the wonder of nature through her oil paintings. As Elaine says: "I think it is important to get back into nature; to be in it and to love it makes you want to save it." Immersing herself in the Devon landscape, even taking to the water to sketch, Elaine's abstract paintings evoke her intimate and physical experiences of the sea and land throughout the seasons.

With support from First Contemporary, she is now bringing together a series of her paintings in Salcombe, a new online art book that explores her latest work.

Browsing through the various paintings, you see the changing seasons and can almost taste the salt in the air; how a sunny vista might suddenly transform into a threatening sky. Elaine balances serene expanses of space with thicker, gestural marks and a playful luminosity that brilliantly captures the movement of light on the water. She presents a thorough dive into the unpredictable nature of the sea, no matter the time of year.

Her new book also gives a behind the scenes insight into Elaine's process; from the initial sketches to the development of the paintings at her studio in Bristol, resulting in a beautiful collection of work depicting the coastline around the Salcombe estuary.

Elaine Jones lives in Bristol and has been painting professionally since she graduated from Loughborough University in 1998. Travelling to diverse and often remote landscapes is at the heart of Elaine's painting practice, creating works that are atmospheric, sensitive and that tap into our emotional response to place.