Oliver Scarlin Chennells from Stellenbosch in South Africa has received AU$300 in prize money for entering this work Tidescapes in our 2017 Sheridan Evans Award for artworks relating to ocean pools.
About the artwork
Tidescapes is a composite image of a series of oil paintings Oliver made on locations around Cape Town in the summer of 2016 and in his words ‘soaking in the unique aesthetic of each pool’. To see the individual images at a better resolution, visit Oliver’s website: https://www.oliverscarlin.com/
Oliver’s entry stated that ‘each painting is oil on panel, made on location under 3 hours. Every picture has a story, and no location or day painting was like another. I engaged with people every day while painting – and often, joined them for a swim after my work was complete. It was more than an exercise in making pictures. Painting on location became an act of sharing the spaces, and engaging with the ocean and the people around me’.
About those ocean pools
Oliver’s entry also stated that ‘while the brutal simplicity of their walls against our coastline is striking enough, each site also reflects a history of segregation. Some even took on their own social identities in spite of apartheid laws. Today, some are in disrepair, but most of these pools embody something wonderfully humanistic, drawing people from all races and backgrounds to engage with our ocean.’
