A low horizon divides a broad, open sky from a sea of gently rolling whitecaps. Large sunlit cumulus clouds fill the upper two-thirds of the picture, and a soft pastel band glows along the horizon, with only a faint hint of distant coastline.

The late-afternoon or early-evening light is warm at the horizon and cooler blue overhead.

Thick, directional strokes shape the clouds, and short, choppy marks break up the wave crests. The matte, painterly surface carries light impasto throughout.