A continuation of the idea of 'surge', this painting has a rawness and dynamism rare in my work. That sea is an irresistable force, the orange pier frail and overwhelmed....the canvas-divide provides the only point of stability in the piece...fast-marks/fast thinking...fast paint: a twisting,surging,writhing mass...uncontrollable. Tension: the dark blue line visually holds the paint but will it physically hold the paint? Already a fat piece of blue slid off while I was watching the football.The beginning (1), was too static, the frozen moment akin to a photograph. The second canvas was added (2) to diminish the scale of the structure and enlarge the 'surge'. These are my daughter Faye's colours - using her leftover paint - but the canvas a perfect match. The last act was to open up the painting more by taking out the downward movement of the heavy blue line on the bottom left edge in (3). 'Pier' is a very personal motif, in my life and in my art. The title is a kind of tribute to Mondrian's wonderful 'Pier and Ocean (Composition No.10)' and I was secretly thrilled when Janie said 'where's the pier'? when I told her the title. This is a common reaction when seeing Mondrian's painting for the first time! if you know Porthleven you may recognize the front pier with its distinctive kink - here the crisp angled-line leads the eye back into the painting and forms the tip of the diamond-shape.
