South Hams Arts Trail

Two weeks of Arts in and around South Hams - I’ll be trekking around my arty pals studios and exhibitions to explore their work and share stories.

Thank-you to the PR team at South Hams Arts Forum for the lovely article in the Devon Life Magaine.

Beautiful Polhawn - captured in clay.

A commission by university pal Nicola to celebrate 20 years of marriage to Danny began with the pot an finished with the sketch. Briefed to include words of a poem loved by Nicola’s late mother and shaped to enable the family to drop in memoirs and notes to reflect on good times, the pot was presented to Danny by wife Nicola on their anniversary.

Such a personal piece was a pleasure and privelage to make for my good friends. It made it’s way to Ealing by courier and thankfully landed in one piece. Nicola shared that it “brought a tear to his eye” when she presented it to him whilst on their anniversary get-away.

Wearable Mementos

Wearable momentos in the making.

The latest news from my studio is the excitement of wearing a memory on your sleeve in the form of these very lovable gender-neutral porcelain cufflinks. Tiny squares of sections of the beautiful places painted in watercolours are visual reminders of good times.

From the top row the pairs of cufflinks are from these beautiful places.

Wild Atlantic Way, Eire
River Dart, Totnes
Godrevey, St Ives
Haytor, Dartmoor
River Dart, Dittisham
North Sands, Salcombe
Thurlestone Rock from Bigbury.

Soon to be available to order online.

Devon Open Studios

Haswell Farm Studios, Venue 173

Exhibiting with Caroline Evans, Janice Tall and Amanda Harvey, my work is presented for your perusal as one of 180 venues open to visitors. Venue 173 is near Avonwick and close to the beautiful and quaint Devon village of North Huish.

It would be lovely to see you and talk you through my work.

Rainy Day on Dartmoor

This year, the Summer sun is tucked away behind the clouds. Had to take shelter to sketch this one - I had hoped to find some blue sky and a bit of sunlight but found a herd of black sheep dudes wandering around the Tor instead.

Hats-off to the walkers and climbers - and thank-you for the nod from passers-by as I sketched this over a cuppa in the cosy, dry of the camper.

Explore the locations and processes of my work along to the beautiful music of Sean Hannah.

Oyster Heaven

Locally harvested on the shores of my parents home in Quigley’s Point, Devon, these oysters were 10000% delicious.

The oyster beds are strangely geometrical and after much scouting for the right landscape frame I found the point at Redcastle perfectly set the scene. The added bonus of capturing oyster famers at work helped to provide action and movement.

Redcastle, Lough Foyle

Landscapes of the Wild Atlantic Way

Shroove, Wild Atlantic Way

This week I am exploring the coastal landscapes from Derry to Malin Head along the Wild Atlantic Way. This is a tiny portion of the 1600 mile terrain of the Irish coast.

Malin Head on Tuesday - a sunset view of the “Eire 80” chalk-markings. Shroove lighthouse on Wednesday and today it’s the home territory of the parents - Quigley’s Point.

Sketch of Shroove Lighthouse, swimmers and beach-combers.

Poem of the Week

Where’s the key?

In the window of Castle Bookshop. I am pleased to share that my ‘Bolt Cutter Borrow’ poem was displayed. Now, no longer on display the padlock is still in place until I get hold of some bolt-cutters.

Strong Hull for Shifting Sand Bank

Home Reach to Quay FishChowter,

Then timber sails Baltic Line.

Cradled sculls, wind-jammer yellow.

Dead-slow days dredge drift of mine.

Steamer Quay

Oak Lines, Streams Deep

“Tall oaks frame waters deep,
Tower high shades hulls, buoy and beams.
Mauve, pine green and lime tinted shore,
Mind course of salt tide past Dittisham doors.”

Alison Hannah, May 2021

This sketch was captured on a very icy morning on the banks of the River Dart in Dittisham. Facing up-stream, the colours of the boats and buoys are off-set by a range of natural winter shades of the foliage of the rising hills.

This poem is a nod to the ancient oaks that give the Dart its’ name and the value the Dart has had in supporting the movement of boats and more up and down its’ length. The acknowledgement of the salty, tidal nature of this, the deepest part of the river is assigned in the final line with its’ meandering route by-passing the houses that line the Dart as its’ tide ebbs and flows.

Warfleet, Dartmouth

The colours of the water at Warfleet are something special. It helps if it’s a sunny day but even on this early Spring day the water has that special turquoise hue that can’t be missed.

Within a few minutes of picking my spot I managed to capture the dog walker and then a couple of paddle boarders drifted ashore.

On the way back to the van, the walker reappeared. I showed her the sketch and she was chuffed to get in the picture.

Swarm Sunday

Meeting with Totnes bee-keeper, Steve Summers to discuss personalised stoneware honey-pots. Steve is the Bee Keepers Association Swarm responder in the Totnes and surrounding area.

I had no idea that swarms were such an excitement for bee-keepers. To be honest until yesterday, I had no idea about bee-keeping at all. As the temperature rises, bees start to rouse and look for a new home. A docile and friendly group, fly off to find a new location for their queen and troop. Resting awhile on a tree, the swarm can be gently encouraged and scooped by a very capable bee-keeper and brought to their new and awaiting hive.

Watch out for swarms of honey-bees and use the swarm map to contact your nearest swarm collector.

Personalised honey pots with Totnes honey supplied by Steve Summers.

Cat’s Paws on Porthmeor

The early surface energy that gently generates a ripple of a wave is known as ‘cat’s paws’. It does give you a sense of that gentle kneading that cat’s do when nizzling into your cosiest of woolly jumpers.

The visit to Porthmeor Beach in St Ives last year inspired this short verse. It works well with this ceramic pot - words on one side with watercolour sketch of the aspect from the beach captured in ceramics.

Sanding at Sun-down

Sanding sharp edges on the latest piece. This is a piece of poettery - phrase coined by Matthew Sermon - original poetry on original pottery! This one is just out of the bisque firing, the iron oxide is painted on prior to glazing and then the final decal glaze will finish off the piece with one of my sketches of Porthmeor Beach. The poem is titled ‘Cat’s Paws on Porthmeor’. Cat’s paws is a term for the very initial development of a wave on the surface.

Porthmeor Beach, St Ives

I took a trip to Cornwall on Sunday. The weather looked perfect for another sketch or two. My plan was to get a photo of a sketch I took on Porthmeor Beach in St Ives when visiting last year weeks before the lock-down. My sketch of that location was my favourite spot. Sadly, I have found out that the beach is in fact not Porthmeor. Porthmeor is just around the corner in front of the Tate St Ives. Anyone like to suggest where this sketch was taken?

St Ives in the distance.

Haytor Sketch

Building a portfolio of watercolours, a trip up to Haytor to catch the sunset with paint.

As I was driving back home I could see that there was the most amazing sunset over Dartmoor. I pledge to return and capture that one day. Plenty of time - there will be many more sunsets.