Impermanent Horizon. Another direction.
In the summer of 2021, I joined my friend on his day boat on a series of days at sea. We’d leave Cadgwith very early in the morning when it was still dark. The smell of the sea and sensations of being out on the water all day were totally consuming.
I experienced first hand the dedication and intense focus of the fishermen in this traditional industry. The simplified, low impact process of small boat commercial angling – catching fish with a rod and line, was a real eye opener for me. It got me thinking about over-fishing in Cornish waters, and how the sea is one of our most precious resources.
These paintings take moments of those days at sea and extend them. Repetitive linear marks scratched into the surface are the path of the boat as it tracks the fish back and forth again and again. Or the taut fishing line cutting the surface of the water.
I worked with Lapis Lazuli and gold leaf – the idea being that the preciousness of these materials represents the finite resource that is the sea itself. The abstract linear forms and minimalist motifs are inspired by the Cornish masters – Lanyon, Hepworth, Nicholson and Scott.
These paintings represent an important moment in my life and my art – they are the result of a deeply cathartic and in-depth exploration of abstraction, colour, form and materials. This evolving series represents my feelings about sustainability and the environment and are an urgent call to preserve our greatest natural resource, the ocean.
Working on this series has allowed me to take a step away from the style I’m best known for, and explore a whole new visual language. But these paintings are deeply connected to Cornwall. They are dedicated to the anglers and fisherman who work tirelessly in all the elements to preserve this way of catching fish. An ancient process at the heart of my community, but one that sadly we risk losing forever.
This series was exhibited from 29th July – Tuesday 30th August 2022.