Knotting the waves

The title of this painting is an improbable proposition: how do you knot waves? This paradox lies at the heart of this work, in which beautifully detailed turbulent seas fill the foreground. Above the waves hang the flowers of the cassia fistula, known as the golden shower tree, which bursts into bloom at the height of the hottest months.

The third element is a throne of the type that is placed outdoors in all seasons, an image derived from a traditional Paharai painting which portrayed a woman seated on the throne waiting. The paradox of the title begins to convey a sense of absence, of promises unfulfilled, of waves that cannot be knotted, of lovers who do not arrive.