Where I Dwell
Full disclosure: we’re a right nosey pair here at Dwell Devon.
It sort of comes with the job, but we love knowing what everyone else likes getting up to in their spare time. Plus, it provides us with lots of inspiration to get out and go beyond the normal daily boundaries.
We thought you might like that too, so grab a brew and settle in for the first of our quick-fire Q&A’s with a lovely local, on Where I Dwell…
Over to you, Island Artist Emma Carter Bromfield – (who’s one of the very, VERY few to call south Devon’s Burgh Island home; I mean, what a place to Dwell…)
Favourite place to blow away the cobwebs…
At the top of Burgh Island, with the tide in and a storm raging. It’s so elemental and timeless, with 360 views of the ocean. Every time I visit the top of the island, it’s like a pilgrimage for me. Forty-seven years of walking the small, rugged paths where the brambles tug at your clothes and the dogs make a game out of chasing much faster rabbits. In the summer, the paths are well-used and wider, more tamed; in the winter it’s much wilder.
The place I like to head for coffee…
Totnes market on a Friday, watching people going about their business with their funky clothes and baskets of local produce. I love to people watch and I feel like a local, with so many people I know there, it feels like a village to me.
My go-to when I need to buy someone a gift
Devon Artisan Hub at Avon Mill [garden centre]. I love supporting local artists and creatives when I can.
When I want to treat myself, I….
Have roast dinner with my family; it’s a real treat for us to be together.
My favourite beach is…
Burgh Island, Bigbury-on-Sea
For a restorative night away, my favourite place to retreat to is…
I love to go to the moors and stay in a traditional Mongolian yurt at Devon Yurt Holidays and walk towards a sunset with my dogs.
A local place on my list to try is…
The walk from Burgh Island to the Erme Estuary, with a decent pair of walking boots.
The most underrated spot in Devon is…
The Pilchard Inn, Burgh Island.
Coast or Moors?
Ohhh, don’t make me choose! Both! I love the space the moors offers. I can be up there for hours and see no-one, so I can truly go off in my own little world, but the ocean constantly inspires me. We are so lucky living in Devon, we get both on our doorstep.
This year, I tried something new:
Mechanics! I’m restoring an old Luton van which is my travelling studio. My friend Adam is teaching me very patiently to lower oil sumps, do electrics, drain radiators etc. to equip me more on my artistic travels. I seem destined to have my hands covered in oil paint or engine oil!
Next year, I want to…
Paint, paint, paint! I’m still obsessed thirty years on as a professional artist, to further my practice and learn more; remain the student, never the master I say, long may it continue! Hopefully I can inspire people along the way to get creative, adorn their homes with art and enjoy the mystery, magic and wonder of Burgh Island.
