Gilded Sands I

2022

Photographic print

Limited edition of 25

Growing up sailing, I was aware of the Goodwin Sands. I remember seeing them on Dad’s charts. They were a potential obstacle, something to beware. Stories of shipwrecks captured my imagination. To my childish mind, the sands seemed shrouded in mystery, almost supernatural in the way they emerged and disappeared according to the tides. So, when Taylor-Jones & Son asked me if they could send me out to the sands, my answer was swift and enthusiastic!

As the day of my trip approached, I imagined desolate sands disappearing into fog, the eerie cries of oyster catchers, and the creak of ancient ship’s timber. However, what I got were plain blue skies, full sunshine and not even a breath of wind! Yet, in a way, I’m glad, because now I have seen another side of the sands, a beautiful side. As soon as I arrived, I noticed the early morning light was gilding the pristine patterns of the sand banks. Rippled and carved by the ebbing tide, the sand looked like sculptures in bronze. With only a curious seal for company, I spent a very happy hour looking down. I hope these intimate studies of the sands express their unspoiled yet fragile beauty just as much as wider, more traditional representations.