This image of humpback whales breaking the surface is one of those whose impact is not just in the sheer size of these animals but also their harmlessness – to anything larger than krill, that is. Until I began copying the photo, I’d thought there were three but began to realise that the cascade of water on the right and the deep, sucking swirls even further along are due to the huge open mouth of this ocean trawler and the massive, flexible bucket beneath its jaw; the mass creating its own microcosm of pools and deadly eddies.

This was the scene I chose to give the Turner treatment – blends and cascades of different shades, shadows, and explosions of water. I’ve used soft pastel again for this on un-prepped white cartridge.

I’m running out of white pastel – these things are high in pigment density but quite low in integrity of substance so they’re soon gone; used or disintegrated.

My fourth of this quartet is based on the largest wave ever recorded and so obviously that is right up Maggi Hambling’s street.

Once I have the sketches for these, my plan is to print them and begin thinking of a layout on some version of A1 – a long horizontal maybe – with the Steeplejack poem woven through it.

Source image via Walmart.com