All my life I have collected and saved treasure from my journeys. Sticks, leaves, shells, packets, tickets, photographs, wrappers, notes, pebbles, wool from fences, feathers…. Throughout time some of these have become part of my artwork. Sometimes inspiration and now more often physical elements. Our lives as a family have centred around collecting and seeking, seeing the glints of “precious” objects in amongst the visual noise. Trusting intuition and not questioning the urge to engage. A flash of colour, a shape or curve, a pattern or surface texture, a detail that triggers a connection. I know this is special, but I don’t know why yet. A life engaging with design and saving objects from the past, merged with exploring and communicating through materials.
Objects that have had a life have a resonance, an imprint from time. An embedded story in their fabric. Maybe part of the fascination comes from my childhood. Visits to museums, castles and monuments. Exploring history in stone carved surfaces, intriguing objects in glass cabinets. Well trodden paths littered with messages, signs and stories. This coupled with a close connection to the environment, my parents encouragement to pay attention to details. The names of flowers and birds, rocks and minerals. Fossil hunting, a sense of discovery in our surroundings. Little wonders connected to monumental events.
Fragments are the most frequent finds from beach walks. Mysterious shards of wood, some with remnants of colour or purposefully placed holes. Parts of a shoe, an edge of pottery, rusted remains or glass polished by water and time. Shreds from fishing nets, the last sea ground gleaming white edges of once complete shells. Collected from the sea, placed carefully in pockets and decanted at home.
Creative Life in Suffolk 