I’ve been going to nearby Grotto beach a lot lately. It is sometimes wind-swept and deserted, at others it’s the most chilled and joyous of places: children jumping into the sea, the good residents walking their dogs, the cheery cries of the beach volleyball teams. On a calm evening the waves lap in and there may even be a Southern Right whale lolling a few hundred metres out to sea. For a moment the vast and alien Atlantic seems benign, and the beach visitors serene and contemplative.

I often get to the beach, ready to draw, and think “mmm… nothing here,” but then something happens. Yesterday it was the arrival of those two girls, the only swimmers on the beach. They sat for a long time, deeply engaged. I had my subject. I quickly put down the figure on the right, followed by that large bounding dog. Then the left figure draped in the towel. Then the whale -watching boat and finally the dog on the left. The drawing is a gathering- together of small moments. Nothing stays still for long and it’s a test of speed and the ability to imprint what you’ve just seen – I mean what the hell do the legs of a running dog actually look like?

And then things got weird. Into view came two blokes with black plastic bags over their shoulders. They were scuffling through the bins looking for stuff to re-cycle. And they were wearing masks. Not covid masks, but scary Crazy -store type masks. Wha HA HA! they shouted at the girls, waving their arms about. Although some distance away, the bikini – clad ones quickly gathered up their stuff and scuttled off. Having gone through the bins and chased away the girls, the Masked Ones sat down on a bench and regarded the sea. And a huge black Raven, right on cue, descended onto one of the bins. A pure Twin Peaks moment – I’ve never seen that Raven on the beach before. But I know a performance artist when I see one, and I went over and had a chat to the lads. These okes, who are clearly on the outers, scrabbling for aluminium tins to put bread into their mouths, are still capable of existential jest. I would have loved to draw them, but there just wasn’t time. They might still find their way into a painting of Grotto beach.