coast to coast 2009

The Depot Gallery, Danks St, Waterloo. Some years ago, I walked the Coast to Coast path from St Bees Head on the Northumbrian coast of England to Robin Hoods Bay on the North Yorkshire coast. It is a walk of about 220 miles and passes through the Lake District, across the Pennines and the Yorkshire moors. It holds a special place in my memory. I took a sketch book and made many sketches along the way and produced several paintings after the trip. My work was mostly abstract at the time and I felt unable to dilute the paintings down to their essentials. I recently re-visited the Lake District and on my return to Sydney, was determined to have another go at rendering some of these sketches and ideas into paintings. This series of new works is based on reflections and memories of these places combined with my travels in Australia. The coastal paintings reflect my love of the beaches and coastal pools in and around Sydney and the estuaries of Port Hacking and the south coast.