Fishing, 45.72cm X 60.96cm, oil paint on canvas, sold
This painting was made out of my imagination. The content of the painting goes back to one of the recurring subjects in my paintings over the years, that of the “ the hunter and hunted”.
I suspect that I had subconsciously been inspired as a result of observing seagulls during my numerous visits to the sea when I was a child. One day, as I was sitting in the sun, a seagull landed right on my chair. It hopped on my knee, and proceeded to beg for the little titbits of food I had on my plate. That was a very special moment for me.
After completing this painting I saw the same exact scene in reality. A seagull skimmed the surface of the sea, wing dipping in water. It frightened me every time I saw it again, how was it possible that I had imagined this bird doing exactly what I had visualised?!
This bird was painted in an almost photo realistic style. The effect is as if it is about to fly right out of the painting once it got one of the fish it is trying to catch. Each feather was painted individually giving a feeling of lightness. The colours were kept subdued, which is quite uncharacteristic of my work and certainly makes this painting stand out from the others.
My mother, who is a tapestry weaver, really liked this painting. She made a beautiful tapestry based on it that is just the same size as the original. It is included here.