INTERPRETATION AND VARIATIONS
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My intention with this series of paintings is to invite the viewer to concentrate on The Sea much more than they might usually. Observing the movement, shapes and colours of the seascape, influenced by the natural elements of sun, wind and rain.
These pictures came about because I would fish at Frazer Reef just north of Iluka, New South Wales Australia, often losing my bait (mostly to seagulls) in a short space of time. Then I would sit on the same rock each day and draw the sea, always facing towards north-east.
It was easy to make variations of this scene as the sea was never the same from one day to another.
Although the smaller pastel drawings were done in sequence over many enjoyable weeks, the larger pictures were painted afterwards at random over the following year.
To quote Matisse: “To render beauty accessible to all”
How one looks at perspective has always interested me, and the morning sun on the sea has a special fascination. Here the dark zigzag... "should it not be reversed?" Or a larger part of the zigzag to the fore of the picture? Yet in this picture the zigzag enhances the perspective.

Once again I have diverted from the original pastel by using pencil on the larger scroll, and colouring parts that were white.

This came about because I felt the unfinished painting already had a soul, and it started to dictate my next movements. All I had to do was to obey - and follow.