Welcome to my wee corner of Substack. I am a seasonal artist living on the Isle of Arran, off the west coast of Scotland. I am the custodian of approximately two acres of land that includes a woodland, a meadow and my wee garden. I offer a seasonal book arts project for paid subscribers if you are interested and you can read more about that HERE. Grab a cuppa and lets delve into our relationship with the shifting seasons…..
In the summer our wee Scottish island fills up with folk on holiday and the beaches get much busier. This is the time I avoid the beaches and disappear into the forgotten forest trails….
However, the rest of the year you will find me on my daily beach walk gently gathering other people’s rubbish. We don’t always think of it as rubbish but fragments of glass and pottery, however well tumbled, are just that. Beyond those fragments I also remove the blue plastic rope that is a frequent visitor to our shores. I only gather a very few shells as I believe they belong on the beach but I do seek out the larger shells that have, by some miracle, stayed intact despite the tumbling.
Back in the studio I get up to all sorts with this ‘rubbish’ turning it into things that folk might like in their homes. I remember stitching this very first bowl from the plastic rope and hoping that folk would get it.
They did get it and even went on a journey with me as I used beach fragments in different ways. My journey with rubbish from the shoreline had begun and that was many years ago and I am still going strong today. My studio is full of wee finds that pop up in different creative projects and have since all found new homes.
Perhaps my favourite was a small collection bought by a gallery in Ireland that I entitled shell stories. The idea was very simple. Using one of my larger shell as the base I created unique stories using words, colours and textures ensuring each one was unique. Ireland is to the west of us and westerly winds tend to dominate on the island and that, in itself, is an untold story.
Art has the capacity to unite different elements to allow them to have a conversation and I am always acutely aware of that when I work in my studio. Some fragments can sit on my studio table for sometime inspiring my creative thinking.
Recently, I have stepped back from full time work and now have more time for my home. I used pottery fragments to decorate my fire surround because I could!
So, as the summer continues to unfold and wanderings on the beach are a daily ritual for many, I wonder if they ever look down and see what is under their feet? Tiny fragments that began life somewhere else before travelling by sea to reach their new destination. They are just waiting to be discovered so that their story can continue. Fragments that speak well beyond their own boundaries just waiting for the right person to look down…..
Until next time from a small Scottish island……
You are so inspiring Fiona. As a homeschooling Mumma you have given me much to ponder looking at your photos and reading your words. Thank you
Lovely. One of my main reasons for and activities at the beach is collecting sea glass and worn pottery fragments. To date they have remained in jars on my shelves, memories of shores around the world. Perhaps I need to rethink their possibilities. I leave for a 4 month stay on the Pacific Coast of Mexico in October.