"We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch, we are going back from whence we came. John F. Kennedy
The sea is a constant inspiration to me. Having grown up by the sea, it brings me peace and solace, at times, and at others, excitement and exhiliration, and those feelings are not necessarily mirrored from the mood the sea is in at that particular time.
I have, for the past two weeks, been working on relief. The OED defines reliefs as: 'the elevation or projection of a design, or parts of a design, from a plane surface in order to give a natural and solid appearance; a composition or design executed in relief.'
I personally find a relief interesting when the 'design' ensues from a motion that emanates from far beyond the actual work-plane. If you imagine that the board, which is erected on an easel, forms the concentric point of an infinite number of planes that project into infinity in all directions (not just 2D, but 3D; this is vital!), you can begin to see how the movement culimates and concentrates on the board.
The sea, of course, moves in a similar way: waves are formed far away and gradually build up from a swell to the crashing breakers.
The first stage in my exploration of the relief was simply to get a feel of how the movement comes from infinity and continues into infinity, to explore the infinite planes crossing the board.
The next step is to create that 'swell', as metioned above, and then the third and probably final step - at least for this particular relief - will be a curling wave moving across the board. (Images to follow shortly.)
With the summer exhibition season now over, what a relief to be able finally to concentrate fully on the creative process again!
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