Beached Boats, Johnshaven
Mixed media on board, 25 × 30 cm
This work presents a row of small working boats reduced to a sequence of simplified, almost emblematic forms, suspended within broad horizontal bands of colour. The deep blues and turquoise establish a strong maritime register, while the warmer reds, oranges and yellows below introduce a counter-rhythm that reads as shore, reflection and accumulated surface history.
Fragments of text, pattern and graphic marks are embedded into the lower field, allowing the painting to shift between observation and construction. The boats themselves are lightly drawn and deliberately provisional, sitting on the surface rather than describing space in a traditional way.
The composition is held together by a strong horizon line and repeated vertical accents, creating a quiet tension between structure and improvisation. As in much of this small-format series, place is suggested rather than mapped, with colour and layered process carrying the emotional weight of the scene more than topographical detail.
