Beach4Art by Ieva Slare and family opens at the Jill Rousseau gallery on 1st October and runs until 9th October.
“Beach4Art is our well-being and art therapy. Most of the time, we go to the beach with a target in mind to create something from pebbles or seashells. Usually, we know what we are going to create and our ideas are taken from all the nature and wildlife. Many of our designs have a marine or animal theme and it reflects our passion and concerns for the natural world around us. We would like to show the beautiful wildlife and nature of Devon.
The starting point is an idea and its drawing in the sand. Then, we collect the different materials: pebbles, driftwood and seashells. Once done, we start to create our chosen design. It is a very interesting, mysterious and creative process because it depends on many things such as the materials, the light and the shadows; it is not predictable to know how it will look finally. Sometimes, there is a good collaboration between us; but sometimes we are not agreeing with each other about some details. Sometimes one small detail makes sense and brings something different than we had planned before.
Pebble by pebble, seashell by seashell, it is a very therapeutic and relaxing process and while we work, we forget about all the problems around.
Most of our creations take between three to four hours to complete. However, we always have this feeling that the creations are not perfect and not complete; there are so many details to work with. Sometimes, we have no time to complete our creation because of the incoming high tide and then we need to rush. There is something symbolic about the ephemeral nature of our work. We are catching the moment; we are enjoying being there and right now. The life of our creations is not long and last just several hours. Sometimes, we stay to watch as the creation disappears and is taken by the sea. It is all part of the process, nothing is eternal, just God in heaven.”
Monday – Saturday, 10am – 4pm
Jill Rousseau Gallery
3 Cooper Street, Bideford EX39 2DA
