Brett was a master of judgement in mixing watercolour with bodycolour. He did not, so like many of his contemporaries, employ the opaque pigment solely for the obvious highlights, but used it also to model depth and shadow. In this, one of Brett's earliest coastal scenes, there are brilliant touches in the cliffs and the surface of the sea as well as the distant town and hills. He must have had phenomenal eyesight - an essential requisite for astronomy and geology, two of his passions besides painting - in addition to the most delicate touch.