Seen from behind, Santa Claus in a red coat trimmed with white fur wades ankle-deep in shallow surf, a small satchel slung across the back, facing the open sea.

A low sun glows at the horizon, throwing broken streaks of golden light across wet sand and rolling teal waves. Thick ridges of palette-knife impasto build the sky, waves and foam, while soft haze blends sea and sky and a grassy dune with wildflowers anchors the lower right. The mood is peaceful, wistful and gently whimsical.