40cm square acrylic and mixed media on board
References: Hip Hotel Cover; Memory of Anguilan architecture; White Lotus
Browsing in my local Op-Shop I chanced upon an old copy of Hip Hotels with an iconic cover shot featuring an infinity pool overlooking a dazzling blue ocean. This reminded me of the prominent angular white villas on the island of Anguila.
Designed by the architect Myron Goldfinger in the late 1990s and described as “geometric castles in the sand”, they stand proudly from the sea as a series of triangles, semicircles and rectangular shapes.
The colour, shapes and the sea perspective fit perfectly with my theme of how we live by the sea.
I wanted to capture that tantalising cover shot, the allure of the sea, luxury the architecture and the manicured landscaping. However, in my world, buildings are intentionally shabby chic with the faded grandeur of old money. To live at the sea is to be at the mercy of the elements, the salt forever rusting metal; the erosion and shifting of sand the ultimate testiment to decay and atrophy.