Pender Islands, Beaumont Marine Park. A sheltered cove and pebble beach, accessible
only by boat. Warm nights in a nylon home. Real adventure with good friends. For parents,
a safe place to allow free-range play. For a young child, a rare taste of autonomy.
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Sirens-to-be explore the tide line … in their bright bathing suits, like little jewels, they stalk
the chilly water, united in a common goal: fill the bucket with this strange, translucent,
captivating life. A small, round spot of living water, these elusive jellyfish are a remarkable
creature for a new mind. Oblivious to the cold, the children will hunt in the water until they
turn blue. Until its time for camp stove cuisine.
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The light was perfect – that golden hour in summer when the afternoon stretches out toward
evening in endless, lazy warmth. Glassy water reflecting and distorting the colours of the
bathing suits and the far shore. My daughter Sarah was five years old. Her friends Blythe
and Hanna were four and seven.
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In this work, my focus is on creating a unique composition and colour palette. This piece is
unusual for me, because it’s entirely acrylic – a difficult medium, as I like to blend colours on
the canvas, and acrylic dries very quickly. Perhaps that’s a good thing, less time to fuss and
overwork.
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This painting sparked a new direction in my work and was the first of a series of 6 Siren
paintings, all based on this particular afternoon in the sun. A perfect moment in time when
everything was right in our corner of the world.
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Mark Heine
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