​A Maritime Perspective

2020

Curated by Yves Lee

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"I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,

And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,

And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,

And a grey mist on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking."

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​Sea Fever by John Masefield, 1902.

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I have spent the last twenty years living next to the sea. At the very least, I would say I saw the sea almost every day even if I did not go and walk next to it. This is something I have never tired of; its beauty is evident every day in all weathers and lights. The sea breaths and produces its own characteristics it creates compositions and sculptures as it shapes the land. It is never permanent but evolving, fleeting, changing, decaying, growing, moving and ephemeral. Sometimes the changes are fierce, dramatic and violent like after the storm days. At other times, it is subtle, slow, patient, and persistent.

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The work in the gallery represents a new direction, an awakening of colour and form. Last year I spent some time on the Cornish Coast in the UK painting and drawing with a number of local artists. Peter Lanyon, Ben Nicholson, William Scott, Patrick Heron and ceramic artist John Leach have always drawn me to the St Ives School of Art. Living in Hong Kong and the influence of the maritime has enabled me to develop my ceramic work based in part on the local working fishing and Junk Boats. Their ramshackle design suggests a sense of Heath Robinson design to their function.

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​Fred Croft