Low Tide, Lepe

Nearly half the picture is taken up by the dark tones of the seaweedy foreshore at low tide when the bait-diggers arrive. The recurring shingle promontory that emerges at low water is there though Dad has broken its length with a bit of water, presumably for compositional reasons. He has also ‘tipped’ the Isle of Wight opposite so that it is receding away to the Needles on the right more than it actually would have done if looked at from this angle. One more interesting device he has introduced is the long low wall which doesn’t exist! However, it s …

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Nearly half the picture is taken up by the dark tones of the seaweedy foreshore at low tide when the bait-diggers arrive. The recurring shingle promontory that emerges at low water is there though Dad has broken its length with a bit of water, presumably for compositional reasons. He has also ‘tipped’ the Isle of Wight opposite so that it is receding away to the Needles on the right more than it actually would have done if looked at from this angle. One more interesting device he has introduced is the long low wall which doesn’t exist! However, it s not difficult to see why it is needed for the sake of the picture.

Richard included bait diggers as a main subject or tiny in the foreground or background in dozens of works.