"Jaws"

There is in the Nile crocodile an economy of means that commands respect. Motionless for hours, sometimes days — then a tenth of a second. That is all. The prey never saw it coming. A valve at the back of the jaw closes at the moment of plunging, preventing it from drowning with its victim. It can then go without eating for up to a year, even two for the oldest. This is not patience — it is indifference to time.

In 'Jaws', I wanted the viewer to feel the threat physically. The composition uses a wide-angle effect — the viewpoint is at the animal's level, very close, which distorts the perspective and makes the jaws appear disproportionate to the rest of the body. They literally emerge from the painting, almost in relief. You are within jaw range. And you know that in a tenth of a second, it is over.

To render the scales of the Nile crocodile, I abandoned my usual technique and returned to the Dutch masters: successive layers of transparent glazes, applied patiently. It is this method that gives the scales their iridescent reflections, that blend of yellows and greens that appears alive in different lights. A slow, meditative way of painting — ultimately in the image of this animal that has made immobility a weapon.