Anticipation on the Edge: A Student’s Powerful Painting of a Swimmer

One of my regular students, who works with me mostly via Zoom and sometimes face-to-face here in Cornwall, has created a painting that stops you in your tracks.


It shows a swimmer in the instant before he dives into the pool: head bowed, goggles in place, muscles coiled with focus, his torso and upper arms filled with strength. The close-up against a black background makes the whole image deeply impactful.


What makes this painting so special is the feeling it conveys. You can sense the anticipation, the discipline, and the quiet tension of that breath before movement. Art at its best captures not only what we see, but the invisible energy of a moment.


This piece feels even more fitting because this same student recently joined me when we travelled from Cornwall to run a Swim England team-building event in the West Country. And only last week, a member of Swim England stopped by to say hello while I was painting at Mawgan Porth Beach.


As both an artist and an art teacher at Mawgan Porth, I love seeing students grow into their own mastery. With the right foundations, anyone can achieve this level of expression—whether it’s painting swimmers, Cornish beaches, or entirely new worlds of imagination.