“Girls at the Sea” – Original Female Nude Watercolor by Marina Stognieva

The Story Behind the Painting

“Girls at the Sea” is an original watercolor by Ukrainian artist Marina Stognieva, created in Bulgaria in 2022. Measuring 30 × 21 cm, the work belongs to the artist’s series “Nudist Beach in Painting”, dedicated to the naturalness of the human body, freedom, summer leisure, and unguarded moments of life by the sea.

The painting depicts two nude women walking through the sea. Their bodies are fully visible, yet nudity is not presented as the central event. What matters more is movement, water, the sensation of the sea around the body, and the freedom with which the figures exist within this open space.

General view of the watercolor “Girls at the Sea”. Watercolor on paper, 30 × 21 cm, 2022.

The composition is built on the contrast between the warm tones of the human body and the cool blue palette of the sea. The figures seem to emerge from the water, while broad watercolor strokes around them convey the movement of waves and the constantly changing surface of the sea.

Marina Stognieva does not aim for photographic precision. The lines remain free and, in places, almost sketch-like, while the colour extends beyond clearly defined contours. This lightness preserves the immediacy of the scene, as though the artist captured a brief moment that could disappear within seconds.

The two female figures have different gestures and movement. One turns slightly to the side and reaches toward the other, while the second moves forward with her arms open toward the water. This gesture creates a sense of trust, joy, and openness to the surrounding world.

Detail of the watercolor “Girls at the Sea” — the movement of the female figures and the sea.

The sea plays an especially important role in the composition. It is not simply a background: the water enters the image, surrounds the figures, and visually connects them with the landscape. Deep, saturated blue strokes in the upper part of the painting gradually shift into lighter, more transparent blue and greenish tones around the women.

The watercolor technique allowed the artist to convey not so much the details of the landscape as its atmosphere — light, the movement of the waves, the coolness of the water, and the feeling of open space. Areas of untouched white paper become part of the image, creating the impression of sunlight and sea foam.

In the “Nudist Beach in Painting” series, the human body is shown without theatricality or provocation. It becomes a natural part of the landscape, just like the sea, sky, or sunlight. The artist is interested in the moment when a person stops feeling self-conscious and simply experiences the present.

“Girls at the Sea” is a work about lightness and freedom — about that brief summer state when there is no need to hurry, meet expectations, or think about how one appears to others. There is only the movement of water, sunlight, the human body, and the feeling of being alive.

Together with the other works in the series, this watercolor creates a distinctive artistic view of the nudist beach — not as a provocative space, but as a place of naturalness, acceptance, and inner freedom.

→ Explore the “Nudist Beach in Painting” series

Artwork Details

Original Artwork & Collectible Fine Art Prints

The watercolor “Girls at the Sea” is an original artwork by Marina Stognieva, created by hand in watercolor on paper and existing as a unique one-of-a-kind work.

Collectible Fine Art Prints personally signed by Marina Stognieva may also be available for selected works. Available formats, materials, prices, and other details can be discussed before ordering.

Payment & Worldwide Shipping

Payment can be made via PayPal, bank transfer, or another agreed method.

Worldwide shipping is available. Shipping costs and estimated delivery times are calculated individually depending on the destination and order details.

The artwork on paper is carefully packaged to protect the watercolor surface and ensure safe transportation. All purchase, payment, and international shipping details can be discussed directly with the artist before ordering.

“I wanted to convey not simply two female figures in the sea, but the state of freedom itself — when water touches the body, movement becomes natural, and for a moment a person forgets everything unnecessary and simply lives.”

— Marina Stognieva