Radiation Stress by Chris Packer

Size (cm): 51 x 52
acrylic on cotton tape on timber battens on canvas

Cotton tape is placed twisted on a stretcher and airbrushed. Then the painted tapes are placed on a clean stretcher, with the painted side facing the canvas so that the viewer sees mainly the reflected colour. The second stretcher also has thin timber battens top and bottom, to hold the tapes slightly proud of the canvas. This supports the effect of the reflective colour.

The title  Radiation Stress  is a technical term in fluid dynamics that refers to the way that waves impact a beach, shifting things around and creating channels. There is a Wikipedia entry that explains it, which I really don’t understand, but the artwork is an attempt to evoke something of the underlying energy of the beach.