This led Ma to travel widely, observing the mountain scenery of the south and such phenomena as the shapes created by the action of the sea on stones and the patterns made when water passes over land. He went on to produce 12 albums on the relationship between water and coast.
馬遠於是四處旅行，觀察南方山水：海浪碰撞石頭反彈起來是什麼模樣，水經過土壤時的線條如何… …，然後畫了十二段水與岸關係的「水圖卷」。