Between Tides and Tables

Artist’s Statement: D J Wilson, LRPS

Taken at Onrus Beach on a summer morning this image explores the gentle overlap between adult leisure and childhood discovery. While diners gather above the lagoon at the Milk restaurant, three children wade quietly below, absorbed in the simple ritual of fishing with nets among the rocks.

The scene speaks to the layered rhythms of coastal life — where commerce, recreation, and play co-exist within a single frame. I was drawn to the contrast between the structured, colourful geometry of the building and the informal, exploratory movements of the children below. In this small stretch of water, time slows, and curiosity takes precedence over schedules.

The photograph is not about fishing as an activity, but about learning place, where the shoreline becomes a classroom and summer teaches without instruction.

Above, the clink of glasses,
voices rise with morning heat.
Below, three children net the shallows,
counting wonders no menu lists.

While adults linger over brunch,
the tide slips quietly through small hands —
and summer, briefly,
belongs entirely to them.