Where do I get my inspiration from, is a question I’m often asked. Unlike the writers of Holy Scriptures there is no divine influence at work for me. It comes from so many different sources, and when combined with my own lifetime library of experience and knowledge, pinpointing where exactly that inspiration derives from is seldom obvious. I was asked this very question by a friend who was the first to see my pier and jetty embroideries. I had to think, where had they materialised from, and why now. It was back at the beginning of 2024 when attending a picture sale down in Penzance that I came across an image by Alfred Wallis. A simple but charming depiction of a fishing boat in high seas climbing an enormous wave. I had never really taken much notice of his naïve work, but the hammer price of £60,000, plus 26% commission certainly made me look again. Over the next few months I came across more of Wallis’s works and slowly it dawned on me how well this style of image would transfer into needlework. Other influences came from Bryan Pearce, (also a St Ives artist) as well as the industrial factory scenes of Lowry. When a neighbour asked me if I could use the old blankets he was throwing out I saw immediately an opportunity. Using them as the support gave me a perfect cream background to stitch onto as well as a border strip to place the title. I started first with an early simple woven blanket and then moved on to a twill weave. In both cases it was essential that the blanket was not one of the later fluffy varieties. This also fitted into my method of work using as much reclaimed and natural materials. I have also discovered during wanderings and research places I had never thought to visit.
Survival on any island is bound to have some relationship with the sea, and so it seemed obvious that the images I would be working with would be that of the fishing industry and harbours. Stornoway became my point of departure on a journey around the long island. I had already visited many of the well-known piers and jetties, but a quick look at the ordinance survey map showed many more. When working on the embroideries of Stornoway harbour I was tempted to step back in time and look for images that dated from before the more recent developments. Car parks are not that interesting, and I wanted to concentrate more on the fishing industry, which meant looking back to the 19th century when the herring fishing was in full swing. When looking further afield I decided to work from mobile phone snapshots. I took photos from all angles and then back in the studio I started to draw from memory, adding more precision and details from the photos. In every case I started with a bird’s eye view, imagining myself levitating so that Ii could map out the all-important harbour area. Beyond this the townscape of Stornoway provided a structural boarder, and in one image I found myself moving Lews Castle several hundred yards south in order to provide compositional interest. This idea of folding the landscape or coastline was also employed out at Point where this time the lighthouse was moved northwards into view. The images, although distorted retain the essential character of each harbour, whether somewhat abandoned in the case of the tiny jetty at Calannish, or the still busy commercial harbour at Carloway. The ridged geometric forms of the piers and jetties contrast with the rugged coastline beyond and within each image snippets of island life are incorporated. The embroidery is carried out on old blankets, another reuse of materials that fits well into my recycling way of working. It seems to me that everything can have a second life, or rebirth before finally expiring.
I see its been some time since my last post, and they say no news is good news, but I’m not sure how that’s
supposed to work. In my case no news means I’m way too busy to communicate, and
so over the past month I’ve been nose to the grind stone, finishing off my
latest needle works. I have ten going on show this summer down in London and
have been thinking it might be a good opportunity to try out the cheaper
flights to Inverness and then onward down to London. I tried discussing the
idea with Tottie, but she’s way too busy with her book. She let me read the
first chapter, which was a big mistake on both sides. I admit my comment about
it being a bit slow was somewhat tacked less, but I do think she’d be better
sticking to short stories. I suggested I could illustrate them for her, but the
look she gave me was enough, no words needed. So, a little time away would seem
like a good idea. I have at last got all the peats up on the top side of the
bank and despite us have quite a bit of rain they should be drying well and
ready to come in by the end of the month.
The December exhibition at An Lanntair is progressing well and the miniature library has worked well. I’m now in the process of creating a miniature tree house, which might be a bit of a challenge getting it out of the work shop. Chaos is my usual way of working, but I really could do with a larger space for this particular project.
On the studio opening side it looks like last year’s least
visited attraction award was well founded. I had my third visitor of the year
this week.
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