Project 1
Acrylic, 610mm x 910mm
Most of my days begin with a beach walk - and I never lose my love of the ocean.
Here the ocean has come indoors, where the light from the windows shows a rippled surface. Staring into water is very meditative, as is swimming or floating on your back.
This story honours the somewhat innocent times when ordinary working class European folks were incentivised to go to the "colonies" after World War 2. They weren't very sure what they were actually going to, but were willing to throw their dice in a hope for a better life for their children and themselves.
#10 across the ocean
Giclee Print
All prints are giclée quality – the best digital print technology available. Archival inks, cold press watercolour paper and colour correction by industry experts from Copyart, Richmond,. Your artwork will be checked and packed into a tube ready to be framed by you.
Limited edition full size print $400 inc p&p in NZ
One of a signed limited edition of 50
Printed area 610mm x 910mm with 20mm border
If you want a different size, please use contact page for a custom size and price.
Original Available $2,500
across the ocean
Southampton to New Zealand 1958 Elinor’s family
As five faces watched Southampton docks retreat into the distance they all had very different thoughts on their mind.
William Peter, known by his middle name, the eldest boy at seven was sad to be leaving. Yesterday there had been an awkward goodbye to his friends. One of them had said “I’ll write to you’. He hoped that was true. Mummy said he’d make new friends. He hoped that was true as well.
Sam, the middle child at six, had had the most exciting day of his life. He had never been so far on a train before and they had to change trains at Birmingham. Two trains! They were allowed a bun each from the man who wheeled a trolley up and down. And now they were on an enormous ship. He had never seen anything so big in all his life.
Four year old Robert, always “Bertie”, had passed his peak and was now on the verge of tears. Too much excitement in one day and all he could think about now was how they had left Mr Fluffy their cat behind.
Elinor scooped him up and cuddled him in. “My big boy, I’m not going to be able to lift you up soon”. She was so relieved they had finally made it to the boat after months of planning, selling the house and most of their possessions. Her over-riding feeling was one of optimism. Post- war England had been rather gloomy and with her father now gone and brothers resettled in Kenya, she had felt the lack of family keenly. But now she had William and her lovely boys. He was such a steadfast, hardworking
husband. Sometimes he was a little stiff and starchy, but she put that down to his being a solicitor, it was serious work. A sunnier climate might brighten him up too.
William looked out at the docks and felt mightily relieved. He was finally leaving a place which had become something of a nightmare for him and it was all of his own doing. When he first met Elinor he hadn’t wanted to tell her about how his father had become senile and had recently been put in a nursing home by his only son. So he told her both his parents were dead. He honestly thought it would be the truth in a matter of weeks, but the old man had rallied and stubbornly carried on being alive. The lie took on a life of its own as he had to invent a cover story every week when he went to visit the old man who was now being so well cared for he was still alive to that day. But now he no longer knew who William was, so leaving didn’t seem too much of a betrayal.
New Zealand was going to be his clean slate. “All’s well that ends well,” he thought. Little did he know that genealogy would become such a common pastime in the future. Sleeping dogs were going to be disturbed one day.