Oil and acrylic on canvas
 
This painting was created for my exhibition Endless Summer at Saltdean Lido, and it captures one of my favourite times of day - the quiet, golden stillness of early morning at the pool.
 
I wanted to paint that peaceful moment just before everything starts. When the lifeguards are setting out the deck chairs, the water is calm, and there’s a softness in the light that feels full of possibility. I’ve always been drawn to the slightly eccentric characters you find around lidos and swimming spots, and I used an old vintage image of a man in a dressing gown as my reference - because that’s exactly the kind of thing you’d see beside the pool.
 
Dressing Gown is a really simple piece with a low skyline, and that’s intentional - I didn’t want anything to distract from the water and the feeling. It’s about routine, ritual, and the joy of easing into the day. That quiet stretch before the sun is high, before the crowds arrive, when it’s just you and the pool, and a sense of total calm.