Canada really does seem another lifetime ago after being back in Wales over 3 years. I can’t believe where the time has gone! It was quite a rollercoaster of a ride moving from country to country, and something I really wouldn’t want to experience any time soon. Or maybe even ever again! But I’m back in the UK and re-bonding with the delights of M&S and free prescriptions. Did I mention I can actually walk outside day and night in Summer without being bitten too!!
So, we were in Cardiff for a just over a year, but bought a house in Porthcawl a couple of years back. If you’ve never heard of the place it’s a historic seaside town, about 30 miles West of Cardiff. Porthcawl is located on the Bristol Channel and experiences huge tidal changes every day. At low tide the huge beautiful sandy beaches and rockpools are exposed, then with high tide the sea rises 25 feet + and covers it all up. Tides happen twice daily!
With the ever changing tides, and often stormy seas, driftwood is plentiful. All types of wood in various shapes and sizes that sea currents from the Bristol Channel and Atlantic Ocean gift our many beaches with. I’m always amazed at how much the ocean, waves, sand, pebbles and sun sculpt and change the colours of these pieces of wood. And you never quite know what delights you’ll find when the tide goes out.
Having dabbled with textured materials on canvas, driftwood seemed to be the natural choice for my next art pieces. This time I’m starting off by doing a selection of round mirrors framing them with different types of driftwood. From white to black and everything in between, nothing is safe on the beaches from my scavenging hands. Watch this space for updates on my driftwood art, and in the meantime take in this fabulous beach view from Pink Bay with the Mumbles coastline in the distance….
Driftwood galore on Pink Bay beach – can you spot the golf ball too?