I have been painting for many years, specialising in watercolour techniques and using the figure as a motif. I paint figures because each one is different and in water they seem to defy gravity. Water both reflects and absorbs light. The colours below and on the surface fascinate me. The challenge of painting is selecting how this changes as a figure passes through it. The distortions that occur when this occurs can be quite amusing. Swimmers in water contain movement that provides fascinating compositions for me that challenge and inspire. Water has a memory. As a figure swims through it the ripples indicate compression and movement.. Light, colour and figures are all competing with each other at the same time. The possibilities are endless, the variations of colour and the break up of recognisable objects defies anatomical common sense and provokes us to look again. It invites us to take the plunge.