Feeling Connected - Earth and Water


Above is a picture of Shoreham Harbour and my house is hidden by trees near the top left corner. I swam in the harbour waters today because I feel a deep connection with the water. As the temperature of the sea is falling, I now emerge with a cold tingle on the skin which is, in many ways, better than swimming in mid-summer.

But this blog is not about sea swimming. It's about driftwood art. My connection to the sea extends to the beach eco-system and the plants that grow there, the seaweed that is left as a high tide mark, and the wood and other objects that the sea deposits. 

Seagift: driftwood is a free resource and beautiful in its own right. Often it is the shape of the wood that determines what I will make from it.


Bone Shark

This is the smallest piece I have made. It is a piece of bone that resembles a shark's head mounted on driftwood and metal. It is only about 4 inches wide and 3 inches high. Small is definitely beautiful. 

At the other end of the scale is some of the garden ornaments I have been making from the largest lengths of driftwood I have found along the south coast between Brighton Marina and Worthing. By using coloured glass discs (Hobby Mosaics) in these, they capture the light and make a lovely addition to front or back gardens as an ornamental feature.


Red-Shade Shells

Then, there are the times when I just indulge myself and make something weird that none of my family want me to put up in the house and which will I have to keep in the shed where it will gather cobwebs. A voodoo-themed series of creations only caused bemusement but I enjoyed putting together some of the weird and wonderful beach finds together.
The body of the piece below is the roots of a plant that grows on the coast here, it has a pebble head, crab arms and seaweed hair.


Crab-Armed Raver

I will explain with each new blog post how I made a particular piece or pieces and maybe you will be inspired to try something of your own. The world is full of free materials but if you live far from the sea, then I sell bundles of driftwood at my online store.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/SeagiftCrafts?ref=seller-platform-mcnav




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