I painted this piece on one of my favourite beaches in North Cornwall, where low tide reveals a vast, flat expanse of sand broken by rocks and pools. I began as the tide turned, knowing from the start that the painting would have to be made in motion.

I worked with half my attention on the board and half on the exact pace of the incoming waves. Each time a larger wave surged towards me, I grabbed the plywood, my kit bag and whatever materials I had dared to unpack, then ran another ten or fifteen metres up the beach. I would set up a temporary camp among wet sand, stones and rock pools, work for five or ten minutes, then retreat again before the water reached me. The painting was built in short, urgent bursts: paint, retreat, paint, retreat. I wanted to stay close to the roaring foam and force of the breakers, while knowing how quickly that same energy could cut me off and carry everything away.