Breaking with his usual habit of working in oils, Hemy also enjoyed using watercolor to paint the local fishing craft and harbor activity around his home in Falmouth. In a small boat he fitted out as a floating studio, the artist would follow and sketch the interesting working craft and ever changing atmosphere of the picturesque British seaport.

This work shows Hemy’s trademark of composing images that show a substantial field of water in their foreground. The calm waters of the protected harbor and its smooth reflective qualities allowed Hemy to experiment with different approaches that contrasted with the dramatic seas in his larger, more dramatic oil paintings.

With the soft enveloping mist that shrouds the northern coastal regions of Great Britain, the hard working fishing fleet heads out past the breakwater to begin their toil. Hemy has muted the bright red tanbark sails of the coastal craft with early morning light as the fog slowly burns off to start another day at sea.