There are forms and marks I come back to over and over. Sometimes a new mark appears; often I don’t know what the shape or mark represents. I might have to play with it for months before I have an “aha!” moment.
A cave-like shape is one that has been appearing in my art for years. It varies in form, from an actual cave, to a series of overlapping lines … but the general idea remains.
It took me years to realise it refers to the old ‘cave beach’ island at Waverley Beach. When I was a kid we used to spend summer there in a caravan, and later on Mum & Dad bought a beach bach. Dad would come down after work, and weekends – we’d fish off the sea side of the island.
Dad’s good friend Ian had seven children. They would visit and, as we all got older, often stay. We used to climb onto the island and dive off the far left side into the waves, then climb back up the slippery papa rock (soft mudstone) to dive again. The more we dived, the wetter the slope got, and it became increasingly slippery. Looking back, it wasn’t the safest thing ever!
I’ve been playing on some cheap postcard sized watercolour paper, just letting my hands work without thinking of the outcome. The photos below are quick night photos on my phone, but show what I did in one evening, and the theme is clear!
Cath Sheard Art 