Where the Sea Forgets Itself

Where the Sea Forgets Itself is built from soft bands of grey. A pale sky sits above a darker, blurred layer of fog or cloud, then a thin bright line, and below it a smooth silver sea. The edges between them melt, so that sky, mist and water seem to merge. Tim Burns spends long hours on the West Marin coast, watching the fog move over the ocean, and his Rothko-inspired way of seeing turns that scene into simple fields of tone. Like his Rothko Seascapes, this image reduces the coast to horizontal layers, yet it belongs to his Land of A Thousand Birds series, with the same patient, unstaged approach. The mood is calm, introspective and timeless, a place where the mind can rest. Behind acrylic glass the greys gain a soft, pearly luminosity. It suits minimal and modern interiors, a bedroom, a study or a meditation space, and pairs well with stone, linen and black-and-white decor.