Following my last blog post, which looked at recycled tin, today’s is all about reclaimed wood.
Wood is an essential part of my work. It provides a base for each piece adding texture, colour and warmth. As a nature lover its important to me that I don’t just reach for the most convenient piece of timber, I go to pains to never use virgin wood. Instead, I keep my eye out for alternative sources to ensure the wood is a by-product from someone else’s project. So I use wood that furniture makers and boat builders have discarded, I rescue old bits of broken furniture on their way to the tip and I scour beaches for driftwood. The latter is most satisfying and the subject of today’s blog.
The Moray Firth of Scotland is a haven for bird and marine life and this beach is a favourite beachcombing destination. Its a magnet for people, wrapped in layers, revelling in the detritus that’s been washed along the coast or down through the rivers rushing out of the Cairngorms. Its a beach at the other end of Britain from the Cornish coast but a place I return to regularly as its where I grew up. So far, I haven’t found a beach in Cornwall that’s as rich in treasure, but perhaps I’m not getting to the beaches early enough!
I’m not alone in my love of beach combing. The picture gallery above will give you a sense of what the locals get up to with all the flotsam and jetsam in this lovely place!
A beautiful gnarly bit of tree branch sets off my ‘Schooner and Sperm Whale’ automata perfectly, the twists in the wood suggesting the movement of the sea. This piece was inspired by the ship building that used to happen in this part of the world. For those that are interested, there’s a fascinating website all about the history of ship building on the Moray Firth. As a child I played with my brothers on the old and disused ship building site. Today its a source of imaginative inspiration!
‘Schooner and Sperm Whale‘ will be making its first public outing at this year’s Bovey Tracey craft festival. Not long now - it opens on Friday June 17th, keep an eye on my Instagram account for more details…
The 3rd picture is my piece ‘Daydreaming’ which was originally made for A Cabaret of Mechanical Movement, an exhibition at Falmouth Art Gallery. The big hunk of driftwood provided a good solid base for an automata that tells the story of my daydreams on a cold winter’s day. My partner was in the south pacific working on a boat building project on the islands of Tuvalu. His stories of island life were in marked contrast to my quiet life in a chilly Cornish workshop. Woven into this tale was the huge life event of my eldest daughter heading off on her own travels for the first time. Not the south pacific, but interrailing round Europe. Still, the sense of adventure and opportunity all came together to make ‘Daydreaming’.
Moray Firth View