Estuary

These works begin with the Severn Estuary, taking us north and south to fertile river landscapes in a rich palette of Raw Umber, Yellow Ochre, Ultramarine and Green/Gold. It is my intention, as the collection develops, to paint other Estuaries that are significant to me.

 

When we moved to Newnham on Severn in 2021, I didn’t know the Severn Estuary. Now every morning, looking out over the Severn, I am struck by its extraordinary tidal forces. My first ‘bore’ was so exciting. I heard it before seeing it. Our house looks out over this ecologically rich landscape. Its skies and light, combined with the shifting tidal planes, are otherworldly. As an incomer to this landscape, I am struck by the extraordinary human history that the Severn Estuary has witnessed. The daily erasing by the tide leaves traces and patterns, in the same way communities are clinging on to the traces of the past whilst reshaping for an unknowable future. Climate change and erosion are shaping the future of this mighty river, and from my vantage point I bear witness to this, whilst attempting to document it in the fluid medium of paint.”