Twelve months ago I had this idea, after a year of challenge, to bring together different perspectives around the globe with a uniting theme of the sea. Starting on 31st December 2020 after what can only be described as a challenging year for everyone, the sea and the horizon was a beacon of hope as we inched into 2021. 2021 by no means brought the return to normal that we’d hoped for and we’re ending the year with yet another new variant on the horizon.

As my project on The Strandline has evolved, I’ve been doing a lot of research into other artists and creatives who are drawn to the sea but also to wild places as well as looking at how our connection to place is informed by our memories and associations with a place. These layers all overlap to give us a unique perspective on places that mean something to us.

September has been a funny old month in which I’ve not picked up my camera much. The end of August was a flurry of activity preparing for my installation of my project The Strandline, exploring the metaphorical mark left by the sea, as part of Ryedale Open Studios. And then there was a hiatus while the children went back to school and re-settled in, and I took a break to get stuck into some further research.

I’ve probably been to the coast more times in the last six weeks since I moved to Malton than I have for the last six months. It’s so much more accessible; there’s so many fantastic beaches and coves to explore and swim in; and I’ve been spurred on my the impending assignment deadline for my Photography MA to show a work in progress portfolio on my project The Strandline.

May saw our first family camper van trip of the year! We normally head out around February but of course this year we were in lockdown and it hasn’t been possible to go to campsites until recently. So we packed ourselves off and of course we headed to the sea! This may be our last trip to the sea in the southern part of the UK for a while as the move north nears closer…