Bottle Raft original (framed original)

Watercolour on paper
Artwork measures roughly 710mm x 530mm
Framed piece measures 950mm x 770mm x 40mm
It is painted on 300gsm Fabriano cotton paper.
Framed. Mounted in a bespoke timber box frame by Michelle Tanner.
Recently I learned about pumice rafts through the ABC Radio National nature program Off Track. Volcanic pumice rocks can float through the oceans after being spewed from a volcano and become an anchor for various marine organisms to attach to. Sea anemones, goose barnacles, crustaceans, gastropods, coral and seaweed can all be found on these little rafts.
After hearing about them I had a clear image of what I imagined them to look. I began to paint pumice rafts, each one getting more and more fanciful.
I wanted to combine terrestrial and marine ecosystems, and also had an idea to play with bottles after thinking about messages in bottles drifting around the seas.
This was the first bottle raft I created.