From the Film Maker:

I started out by learning as much as I could about this painting and the surrounding subject, spending time on several beaches and recalling childhood visits to the beach.

From the start I decided my film would reflect the painting’s relaxed atmosphere. Though there is a level of frustration and excitement, I still feel my story has a strong relaxed atmosphere which is emphasised by the more extreme moods.

I’ve used an audio recording of the sea on the shore, a naturally relaxing sound, the style I’ve used is simple and the animation movement is more natural than exaggerated.

The painted scene shows a child and two adults interacting. I took this as a starting point for my story, using the idea of building a sandcastle, something I experienced as a child and something I am sure children did back in the 1880s when the painting was created.

Sam Watterson

A piece inspired by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Moulin Huet Bay, Guernsey, around 1883