Material - drift wood

Drift wood

 

Material - Holey stones

 

Holey stones

 

 

 

My mum has always believed that stones with holes through them are lucky, don't ask. As children we searched beaches looking for her lucky stones.

I don't think they are lucky, but I do think they are cool. I always thought the holes came from wear and tear via the sea and sand. I was 35 when a fossil expert on atour of Brook beach explained that the holes were in actual fact fossils. Each hole representing where a sponge finger once lived a long long long time ago.

On some beaches they are prolific, while on others you have to look very hard to find even one holey stone. Again my kids join in the hunt, with the reward of 10p for one hole and 50p for a stone with more than 1 hole.

They are very stunning, and when strung together they create amazing door stops, paper weight and hangers......

Material - beach glass

Beach Glass

 

A few years ago my oldest daughter fell and cut her hand very badly on a piece of glass that someone had smashed in a river. Luckily she had only a scar and no lasting damage to her hand, but for the space of a few centimeters she could have had a scar to her face or even permenant damage to her hand.

Glass is such a lethal material with the power to cause so much harm. However nature, a bit of water and some time can turn the glass from a danger to something harmless and beautiful.

For as long as I can remember I have combed beaches in search of beach glass ( glass that has been worn down by the action of the sea). Now my children join me, with a reward of 10p for a more common colour such as white or green, and a special 50p price tag on a rare colour such as red or blue.

The beach glass now fills many containers, and is certainly very stunning.

Other than the rare colours my favourite finds are those pieces that hold some of the shape, part of the design or the pattern of the original piece:

Wild collectors art

Wild collectors art

Stones, sticks, glass, shells and more............. 

 

I have not even had time to think about anything aesthetic and pretty for over 10 years now.

However now that I am done with producing children I finally have a little time to start focusing on the finer things in life again.

There is so much beauty out there, and all those plastic and metal mass produced items can get very boring very quickly.

My kids each have a treasure box filled with things they find when out and about. They certainly enjoy looking at and playing with these things more than the standard toys.

As a grown up I also love the look and feel of anything that comes from nature, or that has been reclaimed by nature.

I hope you enjoy seeing the materials, the ideas, the work in progress and the completed pieces. Please do share your ideas or comments.