I find it hard to look at this painting. Not only am I afraid of heights but I get terribly seasick. It’s all about control, I can’t bear to lose it. Here, at sea, control is nowhere to be found. There is just the constant threat of complete engulfment. The painting leads us into frightening territory, with nothing beyond, nothing above, and who knows what below.

“At sea” is of course a phrase we use to denote confusion. The kind of confusion with no up and no down, no frame of reference, no peg to hang your hat or hook to attach your line, no anchor and no sail. The wheel is spinning. The stars are no help – there aren’t any, just white space. Although it’s so open, it feels shut in, as if all of the outside world is stripped away, and we are just left with our uncertainty.

A jersey, a towel, a shoe give clues to some forgotten person or purpose. The rats, always circling human life, are the only occupants.

-Deborah Poynton