"Zebra Thumbprints"- emerges from my experience snokelling along the coast, observing the shifting world beneath the surface - the ocean seabed, coastal reef, rock formations and intricate patterns created by marine life and water movement.
The painting is an abstract response to those underwater encounters rather than a literal representation of a particular reef. Layers of deep blues, turquoise, white and charcoal move across the surface, creating an imagined seabed where forms appear, disappear and overap. The bold black and white markings suggest the organic patterns I encountered underwater, while the delicate linear gestures evoke traces, currents and the movement of marine life across the reef.
The title " Zebra Thumbprints " refers to the distinctive rhythmic patterns that emerged during the painting process - marks that resemble both fingerprints and the striped, organic textures found throughout the underwater enviroment.
The work reflects my fascination with the hidden landscape beneath the ocean's surface : a constantly changing world of texture , movement and interconnected forms that is only revealed when we take the time to look beneath the water.