Conset Bay
The Whittles discovered Conset Bay in 1998 when they first rented a beautiful beach house there for a holiday. It was from the beginning a case of love at first sight. The Artist had a sense of belonging. Several prints and a large body of work from 2007 have been about the Conset Bay experience.
As opposed to creating scenic views of the place, he has created a more vivid experience of being there as seen through his eyes. This approach began with the 12 Hours 31st July 2007, 12 Hours 4th August 2007 and 12 Hours 11th August 2007. These monoprint images are of thoughts and things the Artist saw during a walk along the Conset Bay beach during twelve hours on those dates. We the viewer, as well as the artist, see faces in stones and all sorts of dual images. It has enjoyed a far greater public appeal than some earlier works. The images are laid out as a patchwork with each rectangle surrounded by pages from the ‘Guardian Weekly’ of the 1980’s. This work was created as part of Barbados’ representation at the VI Salon de Dibujo de Santo Domingo in 2007. This has led to 9 Steps at Conset, Conset Walk and Aus den Sieben Tagen of 2008.
In ‘Aus den Sieben Tagen’, which takes its name from a work by the composer Stockhausen, there is an interesting irony that in the monoprinting process the drawing is achieved by working in reverse on the back of the paper and the mirrors in the piece would also work in reverse. It draws the viewer in through reflections.
What is the appeal of Conset Bay? It is the sense of being surrounded by Nature, unspoilt by the presence of hotels and tourists, its isolation. It is the sea at low tide; the gifts it gives of sea fans, conch shells, abandoned shoes, coral, driftwood. As the Bay is sheltered by trees, you have a sense of being alone in a beautiful universe with only the sound of the trees, the waves and the occasional boat engine. It is the ultimate in a peaceful existence.
This is conveyed in the simple and uncluttered approach of these works. There is a purity about them that captures the feel of being in a very tranquil place. The photograph of the Artist floating in the water, which is part of ‘Aus den sieben Tagen’ sums this up.
Extract from catalogue essay “Whittle in Context” Janice Whittle, Curator Queen’s Park Gallery.
Nick was born in Birmingham, England in 1953 and completed his Bachelor of Fine Art at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in 1977 followed by a Fellowship in Painting at Sunderland Polytechnic in 1978.
