Shangri-La, Yunnan, China 2007

The artist has commented, "The bleak weather was a blessing when this photograph was made. The light rain with associated mist helped to convey the solitary nature of the yellow hull against a vague, nondescript background. I particularly liked the aluminium look of the water, which the rain helped to diffuse away from a more perfect, too sharply defined reflection. 

From that day forth, I have yet to see another hull of a boat painted in such a wonderful mustard yellow. The shape of the metal-hulled boat was unfamiliar to Western eyes, and I was glad I achieved sufficient height to see the ribs on the far side. One foot lower, and the hull might have looked stuck on the water. Even the small stick seems to strike through the water at just the right place.

The tree could occupy no other possible position on the canvas except to stand precisely in line with the stern of the boat, while the shadow it cast just nicked the top of other boat's transom. Thus, with their shared isolation, there seemed to be an unspoken dialogue between the two."

Dimensions: 85 x 67cm