puffins on skokholm by Alastair Proud
‘The location of the painting is Mad Bay on Skokholm island off the Pembrokeshire coast. Mad Bay is appropriately named as the sea is quite often a raging cauldron of crashing waves. I am consoled by the fact that Spring is here and the natural world is doing exactly what it always does’ – Alastair Proud

In these times of self-isolation and global concern most of us currently find our access to nature and wild spaces being restricted from what we are accustomed to. There is now an increased opportunity to take the time to find pleasure in the nature living on our doorsteps. To discover those species we so frequently by-pass, on our way to perceived grander locations. As spring advances, to find solace in the opening of a flower or the movement of a queen bumblebee past a window.

But for those of us who usually associate the warming of the days with the increasing noise of a seabird cliff these doorstep distractions remain a pleasant diversion rather than a replacement of the thrills to be found upon a seabird island.

There are, however, ways we can experience the joy of an island from the safety of our homes. Through art.

Colonsaycliffs JaneSmithWildlifeArt


Colonsay Cliffs by Jane Smith Wildlife Art

Islands have long attracted poets, painters, composers and writers who have fallen under the spell they hold on many of us. An artist’s ability to capture the essence of place and moment through words and colour has the power to transport us far away beyond our current horizons, provide a powerful moment of escape and all within the confines of our safe homes.

If you are yearning for the sounds of a tern colony, the smell of a seabird cliff or just the feel of the sea breeze on a warm afternoon then try finding a piece of art and seeing just how close you can get to that experience.

the whole pageantry

of the year was

awake tingling

near

the edge of the sea

Extract from ‘Landscape with the Fall of Icarus’ by William Carlos Williams (1883 – 1963)

Thank you to Alastair Proud and Jane Smith for permission to use images of their artwork in this blog

Alastair Proud https://www.facebook.com/alastair.c.proud/

Jane Smith https://www.facebook.com/janesmithwildlifeart/