My Work
I am inspired by the South West Coast Path and the sea; things rusting and decaying, lost or discarded and found again, put to new use.
For me, beaches are best in spring and autumn; I am drawn to windswept, solitary places, when a brisk walk on a clear day yields interesting finds to be collected, drawn and stitched. Rust from the landslip at Lyme and Eastbourne’s Fishermen’s beach, stripy Devon pebbles, holed pebbles and oyster shells, fossils, sea glass and tatty feathers. And that view of distant cliffs and sea sparkling in the sunlight.
Items discovered in this way often find their way into my sketchbook. Textures, sounds, lines and patterns all contribute. Words are important, and may appear in the work itself or I may write as part of the development of a piece. I dye and print most of my own fabrics, using Procion dyes, rust and found objects.
My work focuses on atmosphere, walking and collecting; the evocation of a sense of place. The muted colours of the sea and coast are combined with hand and machine stitching to add text, images and texture. The quilting stitch is important, adding interest and a tactile quality to the surface: time spent in quiet contemplation echoing time spent walking and collecting. With a concern for the coastal environment recently I have begun to investigate the various forces which shape our fragile coastline. Shifting and changing constantly with the tides, after a storm everything is different, unrecognisable. Pebbles are arranged and rearranged through the action of the waves. A whole beach can be built and destroyed in a season and I am fascinated by this. Slower geological and natural processes also interest me, my recent work considered longshore drift, particularly the action of waves which formed and maintain Chesil Beach. There is more for me to examine, including the effect of animals and the impact of humans (positive and negative).
For me, beaches are best in spring and autumn; I am drawn to windswept, solitary places, when a brisk walk on a clear day yields interesting finds to be collected, drawn and stitched. Rust from the landslip at Lyme and Eastbourne’s Fishermen’s beach, stripy Devon pebbles, holed pebbles and oyster shells, fossils, sea glass and tatty feathers. And that view of distant cliffs and sea sparkling in the sunlight.
Items discovered in this way often find their way into my sketchbook. Textures, sounds, lines and patterns all contribute. Words are important, and may appear in the work itself or I may write as part of the development of a piece. I dye and print most of my own fabrics, using Procion dyes, rust and found objects.
My work focuses on atmosphere, walking and collecting; the evocation of a sense of place. The muted colours of the sea and coast are combined with hand and machine stitching to add text, images and texture. The quilting stitch is important, adding interest and a tactile quality to the surface: time spent in quiet contemplation echoing time spent walking and collecting. With a concern for the coastal environment recently I have begun to investigate the various forces which shape our fragile coastline. Shifting and changing constantly with the tides, after a storm everything is different, unrecognisable. Pebbles are arranged and rearranged through the action of the waves. A whole beach can be built and destroyed in a season and I am fascinated by this. Slower geological and natural processes also interest me, my recent work considered longshore drift, particularly the action of waves which formed and maintain Chesil Beach. There is more for me to examine, including the effect of animals and the impact of humans (positive and negative).
Copyright © Terry Donaldson 2010-2021. All rights reserved.
