As part of my PressNorth residency at Umbrella Studios, I am creating a series of linocuts based on the benthos region (sea floor) of Townsville shores. Graeme and I went to Geoffrey Bay on Magnetic Island this week on another low tide excursion to take photos to inform our artwork. We have cheap waterproof cameras and we were taking underwater photos of coral, algae, and seaweed etcetera.

I was wading in the shallows, aware that it is now stinger season and that there are also stingrays about, when I heard a splash right next to my feet and saw a flash of white. I let out a yelp, half expecting a stingray barb to piece my leg but when I turned around, I found a dead barracuda, which was about forty centimetres long. I now don’t know what caused the splash or if, maybe, I even imagined it.

I am fascinated by the idea of miniature gardens in the sea. My prints aren’t scientifically correct drawings as, rather than representing the actual size of one specimen in relation to another, I use scale highly subjectively, depending on what aspect of the scene captures my attention the most.

In December, during the final month of my residency, I’m planning to print small editions of all my linocuts. So far, I have a dozen prints ready and I am looking forward to attending the Basil Hall workshop this weekend.