Glass factories were located at Seaham and Sunderland on the North East coast of the UK during the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Producing millions of bottles and glassware, waste glass was dumped directly into the sea and has been washed up ever since. It is widely collected today by locals and visitors alike, searching for tiny fragments, now worn and shaped by the sea. I spent many hours collecting sea glass before carefully composing and lighting it.This piece is one of a series painted in soft pastel, which is my specialist medium. I enjoy the direct physical connection with pigment as well as the wide range of technical approaches. I aim to capture colour, light and texture in my still life pieces as well as a sense of wonder.The compulsion to collect things is a very human trait and sometimes has no conscious reason other than a fascination with colour, texture and form. Transformed by the sea from its original state and devoid of practical purpose, sea glass is returned to us as something to treasure.The historical context, combined with this most curious of compulsions makes for a fascinating and beautiful subject matter.