Time and time again I return to a little place near the mouth of the Severn estuary, which overlooks the industrial area known as Avonmouth. I have grown to love this place that, at first glance, may not seem to have much beauty, but look a little closer, and you’ll be surprised.
With the help of photography, and the use of memory, I felt moved to try and capture this scene, from a dawn walk. Struck by the twinkly lights of Avonmouth and Portishead in the distance, the gentle sound of the receding tide brought my attention back to the foreground.
Over time as the muddy sand becomes exposed, it uncovers a smorgasbord of nutrients for coastal birds. These birds, known as waders, forage at low tide for molluscs in the sand and mud. It felt like a heartening example of industry and wildlife cohabiting, relatively undisturbed.
If you pivot 180 degrees from this scene, and walk for ten minutes under the loud ‘shoom’ of the motorway bridge that connects England with Wales, you’ll enter an area called ‘Pilning Wetland Wildlife Reserve’, where on the horizon, one can see the original Severn Bridge in the distance
At the under painting stage, I set about planning the composition or ‘design’, being mindful of movement, colour and tone. The paint I lay down at the beginning will still have a voice when I apply subsequent layers.
I continue to build content, working around the canvas, thinking of it as a harmonious piece of music, rather than a painting, where I need to put in every bit of detail, every reed, every blade of grass or patch of seaweed.
