TURNING TIDES

Following last year’s stunning abstract exhibition, John Ballard returns with a series of oil paintings portraying the groins and water-breaks of the Romney Marsh beaches. These spectacular pictures are significant works of art, measuring 5’ x 4’ (1530mm x 1220mm), that are glorious to indulge in and spend time with.

“I became interested in the groynes at Littlestone when walking on the beach at low tide. I was fascinated by the complexity of the shapes and how they had become twisted and distorted after fifty years of being battered by the sea. The massive vertical posts have split, broken apart, decayed and created shapes that are beyond images that one could invent which are further enhanced by the heavy growth of seaweed, barnacles and crustaceans that thrive on them. I start a seascape by taking photographic images of the most interesting timbers from various angles; there is only one hour time gap at low tide to capture them fully exposed, and taking special care not to get stuck in the mud.

I am now up to my sixteenth Seascape and hopefully the beach will offer me many more new ideas for future creations.“
– John Ballard