Ian Hamilton Finlay (1925-2006) was a sculptor, graphic artist and poet. Maritime themes have been a constant in his work, but he is probably best known as the creator of a garden - Little Sparta - at his home in Scotland. Much of his work has taken the form of text - stone-carved inscriptions, word-sculptures, and concrete poetry (works in which the layout and physical relationship between words on a page serve to illustrate the meaning of those words). He is interested in the visual and associative qualities of text and type. 'Sea Poppy 2' is a synthesis of his dual passions for the sea and for gardens. The central motif takes the form of a flower, its 'petals' a radiating sequence of words - phrases which use the word 'star', and are also the names of fishing boats. The words float against the blue ground - some faint (far) and some bold (near) - like stars in the night sky or boats lifting and falling on the swell of the sea.