I took a snap several visits ago, while at Bondi Beach in Australia. I find it evocative – a man leaning against a tree looking out to sea – taking a moment to himself.

He wears relaxed carefree unstylish clothing, suggesting he is not on holiday but merely taking a short break from work. I imagine he may work at a bar or restaurant, as he hasn't sat on the grass or a seat, taking his short break for five or maybe twenty minutes.

Nevertheless those moments, however brief, are purely about him, being with the tree, the sea, and just leaning.

The tree has a strong wide trunk, branching above to sun and sky with anchoring roots below, filtering fluid and food from the earth. I like the notion of the interplay between sun heat rain wind and movement within the branches above, and the solid dark, seemingly static nurturing stability of the rooting system below ground.

The man is fleeting. He will walk away, returning to whence he came. He too will have a life of movement, sound, nourishment and energy but with greater complexity and interplay between thought, intention, action, feeling, intuition and the unknown.  Although being conscious and empowered, he may not be so anchored, established, and long lived as the tree.

This is where the drawings begin.