This painting was inspired by a quick linear sketch of seaweed whilst on a walk at Pett Level Beach and is a continuation of the idea of exploring a sense of place from my previous painting Seaweed with Pebbles.
Walking along the strand line and peering into rock pool looking for crabs are two of my greatest joys. There is always so much to observe and new things to learn about the creatures and their habitats.
Pett Level is famous for it’s sunken ancient forest and sandstone cliffs. It’s an interesting landscape with amazing colours, patterns and curious spongey tree roots with holes that become homes to lots of marine life. One of the strangest things I discovered there, was a huge gelatinous mop head of squid eggs - I’d never come across them before and It took a while to identify them online as they weren’t in any of my coastal wildlife books.
I sketched a small section of Bladder Wrack, using a continuous line, allowing my eyes to wander along the edges of the seaweed. It’s very common along this part of the coast and I like the way it changes from deep brown at the base to a brighter olive green on the branching fronds.
When I made the sketch I wasn’t planning on using it as a pattern - it developed from a previous idea of introducing a surface or different dimension into a still life that represents some of the elements that I experience when at the beach.
After tracing the sketch I tried a half drop repeat to make an all over pattern, replicating the linear qualities of my sketch, however the lines looked clumsy as they were all roughly the same thickness. Also playing around with still life arrangements, I realised it was a busy pattern and dominated the delicacy of the shells.
The composition of the razor clam, spider crab shell, and pebble needed a pattern with more space and eventually I decided to try a simple stripe with a solid design.
Having used black ink on a previous block, I wanted a gentler effect, so experimented with printing charcoal powder mixed with a little water and liquid graphite. Both had interesting textural qualities and I preferred the softness and the way the shells sat with the liquid graphite.
Every time I go to the beach I can’t help but collect things and I was drawn to these objects by their colours, shapes and patterns. The pebble is from Pett Level and the crab and razor clam are from Winchelsea Beach, just along the coast. Although collected on the same day it wasn’t until I began to choose objects to make a composition that I realised their colours sat in harmony.
Drawing is an important part of my process, from initial thumbnail sketches through to tonal studies, it feels a very natural way to explore ideas or record observations.
I also use it to create lines or marks by printing with the blotted line technique. Using tracing paper to copy some of mark making on the original drawing, I then hinge it to a sheet of stretched watercolour paper and using a dip pen and waterproof ink go over the traced marks on the underside before flipping it over and applying gentle hand pressure.
The photos below show some of the stages of the painting in progress.
If you are interested in seeing how I print using the blotted line technique you can see a short speeded up video here.
The printed ink marks were kept to a minimum with this piece as the colours of the shells were delicate and I didn’t want the black ink to over power them. With the spider crab carapace I found using broken lines and dots made it less harsh.
Each element of the still life holds a personal memory and feeling to the coast and I like how the composition links them together on the surface of the paper with a slight nod to trompe l’oeil surface patterns.
Strand Line Shells - watercolour, ink and pencil. Framed W27.5cm x H41.5cm
