For over 60 years John Wonnacott (b. 1940, London) has witnessed the changing situation on Southend seafront, from the fashions and frolics of its inhabitants to the structural alterations of its architecture, not to mention the tidal ebb and flow revealing the vast mud flats twice a day.

Viewed from his Southend home and studio overlooking this landscape, these incredible pictures show us an artist’s process through the inspirational scenes of the Thames Estuary and its horizons.

John Wonnacott is a British painter and he trained at the Slade School of Fine Art in London during 1958–63. He then moved to Southend-on-Sea, Essex, where he currently resides.

His solo exhibitions include shows at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh (1986) and the National Portrait Gallery in London (2000).

He has also had artworks exhibited at the Barbican Centre, the Royal Academy, and Tate Britain.

Wonnacott was awarded a CBE in 2000, and he was the 2005 winner of the Ondaatje Prize for portraiture.

Published on the occasion of the exhibition, John Wonnacott: The Estuary at Focal Point Gallery, Southend-on-Sea (4 May – 7 July 2019).