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Martin Clarke

Surf Artist

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Martin Clarke

Mandurah, Western Australia

I'm an ordinary bloke with an extraordinay interest in painting. I've been told I'm talented, but I have to disagree. It's not talent, it's a knowledge and love of the subject, it's painting many, many pieces, it's making mistakes and learning from them, it's observing the light and the colour, it's the hope and belief that the next piece is going to be your best piece, it's the constant, unending striving for the perfection you know you will never attain, but for which you reach nonetheless. I came to painting late, only picking up a brush in mid 2001 for the first time ever, after an education and career in science. Since then I've been painting madly. Lots of catching up to do!

I'm fascinated by water, the coast and waves, the result of many years of surfing and searching for that perfect wave. Along the way I have picked up a pretty good knowledge of the ocean, and I'm interested with the way light can interact with the ocean, or with lots of objects for that matter. Light plays a major role in my work, the way it shapes and colours form, the way it can reflect and refract, causing a dazzling bright or a warm and mysterious dark.

People ask where my inspiration comes from…

Have you ever walked on to a beach on an early Summer's morning, and seen the ripples dance over the multicoloured shallows with a dark ocean beckoning beyond? Have you ever sheltered behind a rock in a Winter's storm and seen the sun rays lancing down to light storm tossed, angry waves? Have you ever stood on the shore and watched and listened to the boom of huge Autumn surf pounding out the back, with the sun glistening off towering wave faces and the spray sparkling like a million diamonds as it's blown off the lip? Have you ever seen Spring's warming waters change colours as the weather changes, from steel greys to dazzling blues, from sandy yellows to breathtaking turquoises? If you have, you know where my inspiration comes from. If you haven't, I hope my work can help to take you there.

My studio and home is in Mandurah, Western Australia. I am surrounded by water with the Indian Ocean, the Peel Harvey Estuary and the Dawseville Cut all at my doorstep, and the fabulous coastline of the Capes Region a couple of hours to the south. Most of my seascapes come from these areas, but I am always travelling to find new vistas and inspiration.

Follow Martin on Twitter (@martyclarkeart)

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