‘Time and Tide’, MAKE Southwest, Bovey Tracey
Opens Saturday 26 April
Overwintering birds, expansive skyscapes, and rusting metal have all provided inspiration for artists featured in an exhibition celebrating the estuaries of the south west.
Drawings, prints, mosaics, ceramics, soundscapes and sculptures are included in ‘Time and Tide’ an exhibition at MAKE Southwest.
The Exe, the Axe and the Tamar estuaries have provided inspiration for thirteen artists who came together to explore the wildlife, landscapes and special features of estuaries.
Emmy Palmer has created glass jewellery inspired by the Tamar estuary, Paula Youens has made a series of prints inspired by the Axe Estuary, and Louise Scammell made preparatory sketched on the Exminster Marshes before creating a print of lapwings.
Lead artist Steve Manning wanted to inspire other artists with his love of the Exe estuary. He led walks for artists to explore the area, learn about the wildlife and the features of estuaries.
The Exe Estuary is a site of international importance for wading birds, which feed on the mudflats at low tide. Steve sees the estuary as a place of journeys and migrations – an ever-changing dynamic landscape. Steve’s speciality is reduction lino printing, and he has created a series of atmospheric skyscapes for the exhibition.
Steve said:
“The theme of the estuary has really fired people’s imaginations. For me it’s the big skies and the reflections in the mud. I love the way the estuary seems to create its own sky and its own clouds.
“I’m creating something ethereal using a medium that isn’t designed to do that. I’m pushing the reduction lino printing method to do something that it shouldn’t really be doing.”
Mike Thompson creates wildlife sculptures from vintage hand tools, carefully selecting the most appropriate shapes for the animal he is making while still revealing the original form of each tool.
Mike has created wading bird sculptures for the exhibition, and was inspired to collaborate with another artist, Celia Smith who also specialises in birds. Celia uses wire as a kind of three-dimensional drawing material to create bird sculptures. The two makers decided to collaborate while watching a flock of brent geese on a very cold winter’s day. Collaboration has been an important part of the project, and their two very different techniques have combined to create something new and special.
Alison Hepburn is a mosaic artist who decided to experiment with a new technique she developed during the project – rust printing. She collected old pieces of metal from the estuary foreshore and used them to print images by placing them on watercolour paper and leaving them outside for a week. She then drew on the rust print using fine, detailed lines.
“I love the Topsham mud flats, and this is the closest I’ve got to all the colours in the mud. I draw how it feels to be looking at the mud with the reflections on it. The process of creating the prints is a bit like feeding sourdough – I leave them outside then add bits of salt and other materials. I have very little control over the process, but then I have total control over the lines I make over the print.”
MAKE Southwest Exhibitions Manager Flora Pearson said:
“Time and Tide has been a brilliantly collaborative project from the outset, involving our Maker Members, a lot of knowledge sharing as well as skill sharing, and some really sociable outings. The subject of estuaries is so close to all of our lives here in the south west and it’s been great to learn more about them, their habitats and the management of them. It’s great to see what happens when a group of artists come together – inspiration, learning, collaboration and a lot of amazing art.”
Time and Tide opens at MAKE South West on Saturday 26 April and runs until 5 July.
Gillian Taylor PR 
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