When I decided to do the 'Time' exhibition, this was the first painting I did and sums up the whole theme for me. The cliff at the north end of our beach is visibly eroding. Bits of it fell on to the paper as I worked with ink and watercolour. I incorporated these particles into the painting. (Slightly worrying at the time, was looking up and seeing larger rocks ready to fall!) Layers of geological time are exposed in the cliff face, it’s also where the glacial ice sheet finished. The cliff, with its foamy topping of pittosporum hedge mirrors the waves of the rough sea eroding it. A dangerous place. Foolishly, I nearly got trapped by the incoming tide on the last painting session... As an ex coastguard and local, it would have been very embarrassing if I'd needed rescuing!
Ref: Porthloo Breccia
Location: St Mary's, Isles of Scilly
Artist Stephen Morris
