Nacre
On the drive to Akaroa there is a stretch of beach covered in smooth stones called Birdlings Flat. When walking to the beach, the ground shifts underfoot and you start looking down instead of out. People come here to search for gems, heads bent as the sound of the waves fades into the background.
This piece is called Nacre. It captures the same treasure-hunting mood. Set on firm sand at low tide, just after the water slips back. It is a small framed 32 x 32cm work that sits within the Shelf Statements category. Its size makes it easy to place on a shelf, in a niche or alongside other small works.
I built Nacre slowly. I first laid down a textured field then added the raised ovals one by one, like picking shells as you walk. The surface represents sand while the shapes sit on top like shells still damp from the sea. The diagonal mark that runs through it reads like a tide line cutting across the shore. As I worked, the spacing settled into a rhythm and the forms kept their freedom, the way the tide repeats, yet always leaves the beach newly arranged.
On the wall Nacre brings a calm, tidal feeling. It catches light through the day so that some marks soften and others stand out, a subtle reminder of the way the sea moves in and out while you go about your own routine.
At its core Nacre holds the memory of low tide and the simple urge to bend down, pick something up from the sand and turn it over in your hand.
Specifications:
APPROXIMATE DIMENSIONS: 32cm x 32cm x 3cm
BASE: Wood Panel
MEDIUM & MATERIALS: Plaster and PaintFRAME: Professionally Framed
