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"Oh we do like to be beside the seaside!"

MUSINGS: Seaside areas and arts and craft culture, what’s that all about?

 I’m very interested in location in relation to art and culture. One thing that I’d always taken for granted until recently was the amount of coastal regions that have a thriving arts and crafts scene.

A few examples of places I have been lucky enough to spend time include:
  • Whitsable, with its funky little independent shops, cafes and art galleries
  • Margate, with its famous Turner gallery and independent art exhibitions
  • Cornwall, with its own Turner gallery and beautiful Barbara Hepworth studio 
Also, during annual South East Open Studios I couldn't help noticing that many artists were based along the coast, from Hastings and Hythe to Deal and Chatham Docks.

Are artistic people drawn to our beautiful seaside towns or do Britain's coastal areas bring out the inner artist in us?  What is the magic of the seaside?  Is it the sea air, the natural beauty, the calmer pace of life?

If you have any thoughts on the matter I'd love to hear from you!  In the meantime, here is a seaside-inspired piece of my own:


Thank you for reading. To browse my jewellery, please visit the Gallery. I hope you enjoy it!



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