Michael Porter

There are several recurring descriptions in the swimmer, one of which is the various things that Ned stands on or in. This immediately made me think of the work of Michael Porter, whose semi-abstract paintings are the representations of a place. Porter will go on a walk through woods, or along a coastal path and try to capture the essence of the journey though his paintings, which often look like an abstracted close up of the ground. 

The work above was painted on top of a digitally printed photograph, and I thought I might be able to use this technique of working over a photo to play with the ideas of memory and things that have been forgotten, one of the key themes of the story.

I think that these would make a series of powerful and evocative illustrations as they give an overall impression as the the location and atmosphere, but can also include fairly specific descriptions such as the colour of the water, what is underfoot, or the leaves floating on the surface of a pool.