My coast: Maggi Hambling

'I remember being taken to Aldeburgh for the Coronation fireworks when I was seven. There were explosions in front of the sea with the night sky behind them. I realise now that they were probably the very beginnings of Scallop. I was never exactly hot on swimming but I loved the sea and I regarded it as a friend. My mother also took me as a child to Frinton (I wanted to go to Clacton, but being rather a snob she took me to Frinton). And I vaguely remember walking out into the sea a short distance and talking to it.

 

'Water, as a subject, has still got me firmly by the short and curlies. It's got life and death and sex - I mean, what more do you want? What excites me is the action of waves when they break. And I identify with the shingle, which is being worn away by the sea, just as time erodes our lives. The sea is about 20 minutes away from my house in Suffolk. I drive to it with my dog every morning and draw it in a sketchbook. I like to get there early, before there's anyone else about, although I do meet fishermen and that's quite handy, because I can buy fish.

 

'I was approached by the director of The Lowry, who'd seen my sea paintings and asked how I'd feel about having a show there with Lowry. A lot of people don't know that he painted the sea. His sea paintings are quite contemporary and they will be a surprise to people, I think. They're very still compared with mine, so it will be a huge contrast. If I was on my deathbed and someone asked me by which work I'd like to be remembered, I would say Scallop. It's the most beautiful thing I've done. The craftsmanship is marvellous. It was made by Sam and Dennis Pegg, steel fabricators who work in Aldeburgh - they've been there 100 years. I was amazed by the controversy about Scallop. I thought Aldeburgh would be grateful for the gift of this sculpture. I get a lot of letters about how much people love it and, frankly, I don't really meet people who hate it - they're not on my Christmas card list.

 

'People say, ‘What will you be working on in six months' time?' It depends on life. I've painted the sea consistently since 2002. But when George Melly died three years ago, I made a series of paintings of him, because he was one of my closest friends. I do what life moves me to do. I'm a maverick. When it's warm enough on August and September evenings, I go for a swim in the sea with a drink. I stay in the same spot - I like floating and talking to the sky. It has changed from when I was a child - now I do more listening.'

 

 

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