Workin’ Man’s Beauty
8 August 2022

The temptation is always there to see, photograph and share only moments of the most perfect, pristine beauty. Individuals who see the world as fake as the filters they use to present it to others – nothing but carefully selected vistas showing just the positives and only half the story. But one doesn’t need to be such a gatekeeper when it comes to the beauty of the world – there are vistas everywhere. Away from the famous tourist spots and the postcards, around the corner – and there is still a feast for the eyes. On the far shore are the working man’s docks – with warehouses and light industry and refineries. And to the front are the boats of hobbyists – not the million pound yacht club but the recreational vessels of real people who work for a living. It’s this real kind of environment that makes up 99% of reality’s day – and it’s beautiful in its own right and for its own sake. I like the depth of it – the interesting corners and varied paint jobs of the structures in the foreground, the berths and floating boasts, the depths beyond that, the working shore with its hill, the houses on the slopes, and even – to the right – the promise that the land goes on and on.

Peter van der Walt is a fiction author, although you may find some non-fiction and the odd essay out there. Fans can find his newsletter, posts, updates and developments at petervanderwalt.com. Currently, he is hard at work on his next story. When not writing, he has far too many interests to reasonably keep up with. He lives with his partner in Devon, England.