http://www.painters-online.co.uk artistMay 2020 59
p FINISHED PAINTING
Yarmouth Pier, acrylic and found collage, 10 3 10in (25.5 3 25.5cm).
Finally, I use a discarded ‘Elvis’ leaflet to help draw the eye around the image and to root the
study to its locationABOVE RIGHT
STAGE FIVE
Working my way around picture plane, I
began to add touches of structure including
the posts of the pier. The initial collage began
to tell its own story of cafés, signs and interest
p STAGE FOUR
I worked deliberately loosely to help capture
soft edges and unexpected shapes
Changing times
The east coast of England is possibly
the area most affected by climate
change in the whole of the British
Isles. I watched first-hand as 12ft of
chocolate-brown slippery cliff slid into
the North Sea, taking a bungalow with
it. Witnessing destruction like that gets
your attention. Communities such as
those at Happisburgh, just 20 miles
north of Yarmouth, are taking a constant
battering. No amount of sea defences
are enough.
So, I decided to capture the essence
of Great Yarmouth as it is today. After
all, a high spring tide and a strong
easterly might very well change the
coastal landscape again. And for me
the faded paintwork, glaring colour, daft
typography, noise, entertainment and
consumerism is visually compelling and
stimulating.
Constable painted Yarmouth as it was,
full of drama and romance for the well-
heeled. But times have changed on this
part of the coast. Today, 200 years later,
it’s full of cheap thrill entertainment
and continental lager for the Elvis
impersonator fans. TA