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Looking Out To Sea

This photograph was taken in the Spring of 2021 as we were beginning to emerge from the third lockdown. This Anthony Gormley statue stands in the loading bay of Folkestone Harbour Arm. I imagine that if he listens carefully, he might just hear the footsteps of the 10 000 000 men on their way to the trenches on the Western Front. Or maybe the 850 000 Red Cross workers who followed or even the 120 000 refugees who came the other way from Europe. I imagine if he looks into the distance, he will see the cerulean blue sky and the white cliffs offering a beacon of hope for those refugees today displaced by war and persecution or for those who want the life we have. If he looks really carefully, he will see that calm turquoise sea devours and spits out, a hostile environment.

The Iron Duke

This decaying, rusting old boat was found on an early morning kayaking trip in a small cove at the mouth of Frenchman’s Creek. The tidal Helford River which feeds into the creek floods the boat twice a day. It made me think of smugglers, pirates and rum. After I painted the picture, I found out that the story of the Iron Duke was more romantic and remarkable. It had been abandoned in the 1920s by an artist Percy ‘Powder’ Thurburn and his wife Anne who had sailed up the Helford River, abandoned their boat, built a wooden shack where they landed, and led a semi reclusive life. This ex-mariner, who as a boy had run away to sea, loved painting boats even though he never sold a painting, giving them all away to friends.

Reflections from Saint Cado

The picturesque Breton hamlet of Saint Cado is situated on a tiny island surrounded by an inland sea, the Ria d’Etal. This painting was based on photograph taken on a perfectly still day of some of the old fisherman’s cottages which surround the 12th century chapel dedicated to Saint Cado. The whole painting is that of a reflection in the water.

Alleyway in Pink (Safi)

I have always joked that I cannot draw a straight line with a ruler, but usually it is not a joke. Nevertheless, I decided to try to teach myself to paint about four years ago. I started by copying paintings that I liked and then took photographs of things I wanted to paint. Painting takes me away from work, the computer, my phone and is completely absorbing. I like the mess of the paints, the randomness of mixing colour and the unpredictability of never knowing quite how it will turn out – an antithesis of how day to day life normally is.

Safi is a Moroccan coastal town which had a rich history, inhabited by Carthaginians, Romans, Muslims and in the sixteenth century, Portuguese who built an impressive citadel which today surrounds the medina. The scents, colours and noises of the media enchant and confuse. While wandering in the maze of back streets, some so narrow that you could lean out of the window and almost shake your neighbours’ hand, I came across this striking pink alleyway. I felt sorry for the two small olive trees which never see the sun.

These are 3 poems which I have recently written, in our post-pandemic world. I think we have all now learnt the value of stopping and taking time for ourselves. We have all lived (are living) through a period of time in history where it feels that our world has been upended, and we have all needed to find anchors, ways of grounding ourselves. For me, this has been in poetry, and in the natural world, especially walking. I describe myself as a mother, medic, pilgrim and poet which sums up some of the deepest aspects of who I am. I hope that these small poems speak to you.