Sea People-Timor

During a very lucky turn I was able to Sail from Cape York Pennisula in Queensland, Australia, upwards through the Great Barrier reef and then Westwards to Thursday Island, Java, and Indonesia. Later I sailed still onwards to Timor before going up through the Malacca Straits as far as Thailand. In all I spent more than three months on the open ocean aboard the Research Vessel Heraclitus.

Of course I continued with my practice and made as much work as possible to record the many amazing things that I was able to see, and also developed works that I had carried aboard in my portfolio too.

Coming in by sea to Kupang in Timor I was struck by the ageing concrete suspended above the water on stilts, sometimes painted, but in muted colours, and by the various Sea people who made their living on the water. Up behind the townships there were the summery hues of dry ground and low trees and scrub in muted greens, greys, and browns. I was itching to make a visual record.

The moods of water itself too, fascinated my enquiry, and seeing it every day in the changing lights of both dawn and dusk altered my perception forever. In this smaller work, of which there came to be three versions, I've muted out the features somewhat to draw attention to the patterns of the flowing water and the body and vessel shapes.