salmon spawning gravel
oil on canvas, 1320mm x 510mm
Salmon and sea trout catches on the Rheidol have declined since the 1970's but now show signs of recovery, perhaps due to The National Salmon Strategy, administered by the Environment Agency. The programme for the Rheidol includes improving fish access to spawning grounds and cleaning the water of mineral discharges from derelict mines. The gravel on this stretch is sufficiently upstream and of a size to allow spawning.
oil study
top : looking into deep water
bottom : looking from dry gravel
bottom : looking from dry gravel
See how the colours of the river bed change in the two views. Colour perception is effected by surround colours. If you look into dark water for a while you will see different colours emerge from the bed than if you had just looked at bright gravel. So there are two separate studies, to enhance the difference between the two colour worlds of gravel in air and gravel under water. Which world does the foam belong to?
studio
