'Living a few minutes from the sea, a daily walk along the beach is a constant stimulus for me whether it is chalkings on the promenade or the rich and varied textures of the coast or the changing light and moods of the sea. This feeds into my practice. The sea is in constant flux: one day shimmering emerald and silently lapping; another a stormy dark charcoal grey whipping up waves and surf. I love the bleached colours and the faded hues of the coast that the sea leaves behind. Walking along the beach early morning is also a time of contemplation for me - away from traffic and noise, leaving my mind free to reminisce and reflect, revealing past memories and events to float into my subconscious and ultimately feed into my work.

Working directly onto the canvas I try not to have any preconceived ideas of what it will be. Painting is a journey for me of push and pull, adding and eliminating, trying to find a way into the work. This can be exciting but also frustrating and uncomfortable as decisions-made often result in setbacks and restarts, until I eventually find a way in and start to build up. Along with erasing, scratching and gestural mark-making, I will often incorporate text into the painting - this can be from collage or written and obscured to cement into the work visually as a pattern, and embeds meaning and narratives into the painting which carry it along. Approaching the canvas intuitively and letting things happen allows me more freedom and surprises in the process.'

Jenny Lock, 2021