Deception Island, Antarctica
Original Mixed-Media Oil on Canvas
Created exclusively for the Beauty Out of the Ashes exhibition in Mayfair, London, Embers Beneath the Ice explores the meeting point between destruction, memory and renewal.
Deception Island
Inspired by the extraordinary landscape and history of Deception Island in Antarctica, Embers Beneath the Ice explores the meeting point between destruction, memory and renewal.
Once a centre of the Antarctic whaling industry, Deception Island's sheltered volcanic harbour became a place of intense human activity. Processing stations, machinery and the remnants of an industry built around immense loss once occupied its shores. Today, traces of that history remain within the landscape, including the imposing remains of the whaling stations and the great boiling copper vats once used in the processing of whale oil.
Volcanic eruptions have subsequently buried, damaged and reshaped parts of the former settlement, while wind, ice and time continue to transform the landscape. Yet the evidence of what came before has not disappeared completely. Human history and the forces of nature remain intertwined across the island.
It is this extraordinary coexistence — between fire and ice, human industry and the immense forces of nature, destruction and what survives — that lies at the heart of Embers Beneath the Ice.
The island's volcanic history also became part of the physical making of the work. Volcanic ash is incorporated into the painting alongside vintage 24ct gold leaf, gold oil and a gold acrylic foundation, creating layers of darkness, warmth, texture and light.
The gold emerges through the darker volcanic surface, suggesting fragments of memory beneath the landscape — traces of what has been lost, but also the possibility of renewal.
There is an inherent tension within Deception Island: a place shaped simultaneously by fire and ice.The seemingly frozen Antarctic landscape conceals an active volcanic past, while the remains of human industry have gradually been absorbed back into the natural environment. This idea of what lies beneath the surface became central to the creation of Embers Beneath the Ice.
The volcanic ash is therefore not simply a textural element. It connects the physical artwork to the landscape that inspired it, while the vintage gold leaf introduces a contrasting sense of luminosity and permanence.
Together, these materials create a surface that changes with the light, revealing different layers and details as the painting is viewed more closely.
Exhibition Provenance
Embers Beneath the Ice was created specifically for the London Exhibition Beauty Out of the Ashes.Following its presentation at the Shadow Gallery Mayfair, the work continues its exhibition journey at Atelier Gallery,
Angmering West Sussex from 1st October 2026
DETAILS
Original mixed-media oil on canvas
Volcanic ash incorporated into the painting
Vintage 24ct gold leaf
Gold oil and gold acrylic foundation
Canvas: 60 × 80 cm
Framed dimensions: approximately 76 × 96 × 4 cm
Contemporary white wooden frame
Signed original
Certificate of authenticity included
Deception Island, Antarctica
Original Mixed-Media Oil on Canvas
Created exclusively for the Beauty Out of the Ashes exhibition in Mayfair, London, Embers Beneath the Ice explores the meeting point between destruction, memory and renewal.
Deception Island
Inspired by the extraordinary landscape and history of Deception Island in Antarctica, Embers Beneath the Ice explores the meeting point between destruction, memory and renewal.
Once a centre of the Antarctic whaling industry, Deception Island's sheltered volcanic harbour became a place of intense human activity. Processing stations, machinery and the remnants of an industry built around immense loss once occupied its shores. Today, traces of that history remain within the landscape, including the imposing remains of the whaling stations and the great boiling copper vats once used in the processing of whale oil.
Volcanic eruptions have subsequently buried, damaged and reshaped parts of the former settlement, while wind, ice and time continue to transform the landscape. Yet the evidence of what came before has not disappeared completely. Human history and the forces of nature remain intertwined across the island.
It is this extraordinary coexistence — between fire and ice, human industry and the immense forces of nature, destruction and what survives — that lies at the heart of Embers Beneath the Ice.
The island's volcanic history also became part of the physical making of the work. Volcanic ash is incorporated into the painting alongside vintage 24ct gold leaf, gold oil and a gold acrylic foundation, creating layers of darkness, warmth, texture and light.
The gold emerges through the darker volcanic surface, suggesting fragments of memory beneath the landscape — traces of what has been lost, but also the possibility of renewal.
There is an inherent tension within Deception Island: a place shaped simultaneously by fire and ice.The seemingly frozen Antarctic landscape conceals an active volcanic past, while the remains of human industry have gradually been absorbed back into the natural environment. This idea of what lies beneath the surface became central to the creation of Embers Beneath the Ice.
The volcanic ash is therefore not simply a textural element. It connects the physical artwork to the landscape that inspired it, while the vintage gold leaf introduces a contrasting sense of luminosity and permanence.
Together, these materials create a surface that changes with the light, revealing different layers and details as the painting is viewed more closely.
Exhibition Provenance
Embers Beneath the Ice was created specifically for the London Exhibition Beauty Out of the Ashes.Following its presentation at the Shadow Gallery Mayfair, the work continues its exhibition journey at Atelier Gallery,
Angmering West Sussex from 1st October 2026
DETAILS
Original mixed-media oil on canvas
Volcanic ash incorporated into the painting
Vintage 24ct gold leaf
Gold oil and gold acrylic foundation
Canvas: 60 × 80 cm
Framed dimensions: approximately 76 × 96 × 4 cm
Contemporary white wooden frame
Signed original
Certificate of authenticity included
