The tenders of Parsley Bay

For those who have not had the pleasure of viewing the variety of assembled tenders, stacked against the weathered rock cliffs of Parsley Bay in Brooklyn, you are seriously missing a visual treat.

If you relish the powerful images created when the detritus of life is cast aside in haste....dropped, ready to be re-gathered when the need arises, Parsley Bay should be on your agenda. The simplicity of life, and the indestructable structure of some of lifes specific necessities, in a tiny but strategic place like Parsley Bay, can be soothing to the eye.

I love the quaint-sounding Parsley Bay. I love the jingle of the yachts as they all sit moored in the bay on a windy day. I love seeing toughened yachties as they row ashore with their familys' in tiny tenders. The whole scene often reminds me of an illustration from the fairytale "Rub a dub dub - Three men in a tub" as they bob towards land.

Later, when safely on land, I watch as they drag their little tenders up the tiny sandy strip of beach (using the term loosely) to lean them against the rock, where they will be faithfully waiting for them maybe months later. On the next visit the tender may be boasting new graffiti, new scratches and dents, or could even have become a shelter to a recently homeless person harbouring beneath the rocks, but it will still float, and it will still successfully transport its owners to its 'big sister' waiting offshore.

I have started painting a series of works featuring the Tenders of Parsley Bay. I am hoping the relevant owners will be able to identify my interpretations of their little boats, despite the evolving appearance of these gems of Parsley Bay. Here is an early viewing of my first incomplete & humble painting.