Surf Wood for Good

Sharing the Surf, Basking Sharks
"Sharing the Surf, Basking Shark’ was created from my own experience of seeing Basking Sharks in UK coastal waters and celebrates how we can peacefully co-exist together. Basking sharks are an endangered species and are protected species in UK waters and there are strict rules how close boats and other watercraft can go. Sadly, this protection doesn’t stop them from being victims of pollution, entanglement in fishing gear and plastic pollution due to the way they filter feed on plankton at the surface. You should always give them plenty of space if you find yourself sharing the water with them, at least 4 metres away. We need to act now to clean up our act otherwise we will sadly lose them altogether. Globally shark fishing is a massive issue. It is estimated 100 million sharks are killed each year, over the last 50 years there has been a 70% decline in shark populations. Sharks are essential to a healthy ecosystem in the sea and must be further protected here in the UK and globally."

Joy Clifton
Joy Clifton is an artist whose central concern is with colour, light, movement, perspective and space. Her deep passion for the sea and the environment resonates within her uplifting seascapes. She celebrates the natural ocean environment, the pleasure and soulfulness that the sea gives us. She captures the fluidity of the ocean realm focusing on the movement of water, the abstraction of light and the sea creatures that inhabit this realm. She experiments with the ever-changing state of the ocean, the ebb and flow of the tide, the intense and subtle colours the weather creates on and through the water. Joy experiments with different viewpoints from an aerial view, in the curl of the wave, below the surface and diving into the underwater world. In her work there is an echo of conservation and she addresses current issues that are affecting the natural world. 

Joy predominantly works with watercolour and acrylics mixed with a flow of liquid layers, marks and textures to keep her work fresh. She uses the natural flow of the paint to create her swirling sea textures and then builds up layering textures through her impressionistic style to create depth. 

Influenced by impressionist painters particularly Degas, Monet and Turner with their use of mark making and use of colour capturing light in their work, she is also influenced by different photographic perspectives of the ocean from aerial photography to underwater photography. A keen water sports enthusiast and a trained diving instructor, Joy draws on her own experiences and fascination with the natural world and uses this knowledge to create unique compositions. Conservation of the natural environment is at the core of her inspiration.

Website: www.joycliftonuk.com
Instagram: @joycliftonuk