Back in June/July this year I was invited to take part in an Art focused Event Day to mark the 60th Anniversary of the Crovie Preservation Society. For those of you not familiar with Crovie it is a small former fishing village nestling on the North East Coast of Scotland in a conservation area. If you want to know a bit more you can check out the link below
Precariously balanced between rock and sea, it is in one instance peaceful and restful and in the next alive to the potential wildness of the elements and has long inspired many artists. Not from the area, I none-the-less have strong links through family and have been visiting Crovie and holidaying there for many years, so I was thrilled and very grateful to be invited to join other artists, residents and visitors to support and celebrate the preservation of this unique and enchanting/charming place.
Air Dry Clay Art
My invitation to join other artists came as a result of the recent work I've been doing in clay and inspired by Crovie. Clay is a relatively new medium for me. I've always enjoyed sculpting and I have used clay and Paper Mache before, but not in any cohesive way. This year I've done much more experimentation with various air dry clays and taken a course in pottery and it has become much more integral to my art.
What an Amazing Opportunity
The day itself was great, I got to meet up with other artists and residents and there were lots of visitors. It was a little windy and chilly on the day and there was a spot or two of rain but that didn't detract from its success and as ever is the case with Crovie, the sun came out too. At the end of the day there was an auction of the artists' work and there was also money raised for the Charitable Trust for Crovie Preservation Society.
For me it also presented an amazing opportunity and has been pivotal in helping me promote my art to a wider audience. As a result of taking part in that one event I have had a lot of interest and commissions for work and most of the work I've been doing has been Crovie related (which is pretty obvious if you view my website gallery ).
But that's really not a problem for me as the place and the surrounding area have so much to offer in terms of artistic inspiration and I'm already developing ideas for a further series of works relating to the birdlife there. With the RSPB Troup Head sanctuary literally on the cliff it seems remiss of me not to do so!
Being invited, taking part and the subsequent commissions have all been important in giving me more confidence and promoting my work and I want to thank the Crovie Preservation Society and some of the local residents who have been so generous and hugely supportive.
"I will Prepare and some day my chance will come" Abraham Lincoln
In sharing this small but significant part of my artistic journey I think there is probably one key message and that is to grasp opportunities when they arise, (or better still try to make them happen). If you are like me and mostly work in isolation, stockpiling work in the studio, giving it away to friends and family and for the most part highly self critical, one small opportunity might be all you need to change your mindset, be more confident and give you a leap forward in achieving your personal goal - whatever that is!
Thanks for taking the time to read my blurb! I hope you've found it interesting . If you have any questions or incites please share in the comments.
Waw, what amazing work! I myself might have to request some work to be done for my new house! I have a particularly close relationship with Scotland as my heritage is from there so seeing people take such care and effort to admire and preserve its wonderful architecture and history fills me with pride. Simply amazing, keep up the good work!!
found this really interesting, I know Crovie and the area well and it is a lovely place, thanks for sharing.