Shallows (109 x 109 cm)

On one of the many boating excursions out in the Great Sandy Strait, we arrived at a small island called Little Woody and anchored away from the shore as the beach was entirely comprised of rocks. Beautiful rocks of subtle greys, browns, yellows and lights of many variations, about hand shaped and smaller, rounded with many years of exposure to the elements. Of particular interest were the rock beds in the shallows just covered by a thin depth of crystal clear water. The brilliance of the sun shining through creating multiple reflections from the surface, flashing intermittently onto their many shapes, displaying patterns of light everywhere. Fantastic, out with the camera and many shots later, one particular subject stands out from the rest, with the potential composition to make a good design for a painting. Eventually a 109 x 109 cm square canvas is determined by the actual life size dimensions of the rocks and their arrangement within the format perimeter.

As I am drawing these rocks to scale with charcoal, on the white gessoed canvas, I marvel at the way their shapes are fitting together so well, being in a random order. So many diagonals, verticals, horizontals, and rhythms between them, and towards the bottom frame the water is deeper and therefore distorting the shapes. The design is not oblique. We are looking straight down towards a flat plain at wonderful directions and facets playing off each other. Within the painting process, drawn movement in paint is showing the all important elements of plain and volume, but over all, it is the surface light that qualifies the real illusion of shallow depth. Grey against yellow, yellow ochre, rustic reds and browns and a dark blue brown in the deep crevices between the shapes.

Another month’s work and it’s finished, dammar varnished and framed with a light off-white thin shadow-box profile. One of my favourite paintings.