It’s Art…And It’s Straight From a Beach Near You!
Our minds were blown recently, when we discovered this simple, striking artwork…and then realised what it was!
If you were to explain to an alien what seaweed is, how would you go about it? The chances are, you’d use words like slimy, maybe crispy, possibly tasty, even a bit whiffy and, if you’re anything like me you’ve definitely yelped in terror when it’s wrapped itself around you in the sea, imagining all sorts of nightmares unfolding beneath the surface.
What you probably wouldn’t think to say is that seaweed is actually a gorgeous source of art; unless, of course, you’re Jill Mottram, the creative brain behind The Seaweed Studio.
Take a closer look and you’ll see for yourself…
Yep, seaweed. All three of these beauties.
Who knew that it could be so lovely? Definitely not us!
Jill, however, sussed it during a beach clean a few years back. Never happier than when barefoot on the sand, she began to realise while poking around just how beautiful and diverse it is and, after taking a few specimens home to experiment with, The Seaweed Studio was born.
It turns out that seaweed varies hugely in its colour, texture and form, giving Jill plenty of inspiration to work with - and us plenty of variety to choose from.
Each piece collected is cleaned and then handpressed into art, across a range of mediums, from original pressings, to prints, greetings cards and wrapping paper.
And it doesn’t stop at art.
While one of us came away with a little trio of prints, the other couldn’t resist the scents coming from these soaps. The cedarwood, lemongrass and kelp is absolutely [*chef’s kiss]! No nasties were involved in the making of these and, of course it makes sense to reap the health benefits of seaweed, of which there are lots!
But what we particularly love is that all of the specimens are collected from beaches and shorelines local to us, the details of which are noted on each piece. So if you’ve a beach that’s special to you, the chances are there’s a piece of it immortalised here and it’ll look lovely hung on your wall.
Feeling inspired? Maybe you even fancy having a go at this fascinating process yourself? Well, you can! Jill regularly runs workshops from her studio near Kingsbridge, where you can learn more about the art of seaweed pressing. It’s also a great way to appreciate seaweed’s vital role in marine ecosystems and carbon capture, something Jill is passionate about. The next one is coming up on 10th May and she’d love to share all she knows with you. Sounds like a pretty nice day out, to us!
Find out more, shop online, or get the deets on all the lovely local stores Jill’s range is stocked in, by visiting her website below. Tell her we sent you - and we’ll see you on the beach for a little forage soon, yes?
