December 2011 - Faces in the rockface

Living right in the middle of Yorkshire, the coast is quite a hike for me and, with the cost of fuel so astronomical, I don't get to the sea as often as I'd like.

This was my first visit since the summer and I was hoping to explore the amazing formations on the sea shelf beyond Saltwick Nab. I'd first seen these in the summer but they seem only to be exposed with a very low tide and, on this day, low tide was not low enough.

Instead, we headed towards Saltwick Nab - a new part of the bay for me. Conditions were more suited to intimate, detailed images rather than wider landscapes - luckily Yorkshire's coastline is brimming with wonderful geological features, ideally suited to the closer landscape.

Faces can be found in so many places and I spotted this one in the rockface as we made our way along the treacherously slippery seabed towards Saltwick Nab. I spent a very cold, but happy time, working on various compositions until my fingers could take no more.

This was the most abstract composition, with the wider context omitted, but I like it for its simplicity and for the balancing set of curves and stripes. You might just be able to make out the smaller face sitting inside the right eye...?