A watercolour on paper by Mary Fedden, 'On the Shore' depicts a reclining figure on a beach with a small sailboat in the background. The painting features a soft colour palette and simplified shapes, characteristic of Fedden's style.

Mary Fedden (1915-2012) was a British artist known for her distinctive and colourful still lifes and figurative compositions. She studied at the Slade School of Fine Art in London and later taught at the Royal College of Art, influencing a generation of British painters. Her work often combines a sense of whimsy with a sophisticated understanding of colour and form. 'On the Shore' exemplifies Fedden's characteristic style. Executed in watercolour on paper, the painting depicts a reclining figure on a beach. The figure, rendered in muted browns and ochres, wears a wide-brimmed yellow hat and has red hair. A smaller, ghostly white figure appears within the larger figure's form, possibly representing a child or an inner self. In the background, a small sailboat is visible on the horizon, adding to the seaside atmosphere. The colour palette is soft, with pinks and greys creating a hazy, dreamlike quality. Fedden's use of simplified shapes and flat planes of colour gives the work a modern, almost graphic quality, while still retaining a sense of warmth and intimacy.