Unframed
40 x 45 cm / 16" x 18"
Framed
63 x 67 cm / 25" x 27"
Oil on board
2013
Signed lower right
A Private Collection, Melbourne
Two inflatable buoys frame our view of two young surfers who survey the ocean and distant mountain range, of which we are afforded a very beautiful, though teasingly slim, view.
Employing a spare use of dynamic spot colour, combined with Watson's refined rendering of detail, intrigue is also a feature of this painting as we consider the surfers, who appear to resemble one another. Whilst their shorts are different colours, matching underwear is revealed underneath. Perhaps a subtle suggestion of a close companionship, though once more the artist provides a curious ambiguity, often a feature of his art.
A favourite place of Watson's to be as a young boy was the beach, and the artist has regularly returned since childhood to Noosa Beach in Queensland, Australia, which has inspired this exciting series.
