Eaten in moderation, raw cake batter is, I think, far superior in flavour and texture to any baked cake. As with cakes, so with paintings. Now that I have finished this painting of a shell, I am not sure which version I like best: the “raw” (i.e. the under-painting), the “cooked” (i.e. the finished painting), or the in-between (i.e. with the tones adjusted, but no colour or final texture added).

The shell was brought home, sandy and wrapped in wet Speedos, from a seaside holiday far far away. On quiet nights, I can still hear a far-distant ocean echoing from it. The Atlantic whispering on a shelf in suburban Melbourne.