seascapes by hannah tofts
in wood
seascapes by hannah tofts
in wood
seascapes in wood by hannah tofts series 1+2 collages made from the lost+found on the beach and in attic boxes after moving from the city to the sea west coast scotland 2009-2014
Changing horizons... streetscapes for seascapes. It’s a whole other type of blue by the open sea. I studied every shade of sea and sky in paint filled jampots, watching where the horizons meet. Blue became my new colour to see. On just 2 metres of the beach in my first year of exploring the sea I found tiny perfect sail-boat shells, normally found on the east coast, with a torn scrap of a postcard. I’ve never found these shells again, nor another postcard. After the long storm season passes, when we’ve cleaned the beaches of plastic, when Spring turns quickly in to Summer the sticks and wooden planks come out of their damp hiding. Suddenly revealing their dry grained greys, begging to be found and no longer lost. I started a collection of ragged pieces, interesting shapes, curly sticks, boatyard wedges with no particular idea in mind but knowing it would be useful to have a lot of wood ready to paint on one day...
It’s funny what you find in childhood attic boxes. The flipside of moving again and again. The indoor version of lost+found. I unearthed an odd box of forgotten wooden toys and odd broken things, perfect storylines for my mini seascape worlds. I started working on Seascapes Series 1 which I showed and sold in the winter barns with a bowl of chilli and mulled wine with my Tartan Tin Hearts. I couldn’t stop when I found 4 1950’s bathing beauties on cocktail sticks, still wired in card, my beloved 1950’s salt and pepper cruet set in a boat, my 1940’s sailor brooch, odd birds and boats, the puzzle piece that’s me, 1950’s buttons, bits of my wooden farm, a depleted draughts set and my prized tiny plastic red speedboat. I started Seascapes Series 2 which I showed 2 years later in the summer barns with Pimms. The pieces got bigger, some more quirky and funny, some more narrative and lyrical. I’m now working on Seascapes Series 3... it’s bigger, more textural, using winter colour blues and more abstract now that I’ve used up all my lost+found storyline finds. However, I’ve just found another lost childhood box so who knows what will happen...
The first series of collages were small, intimate panels, generally 28cm x 17cm. My first responses to my new sea location, getting my eye in, decoding this serious horizon. Series 2 grew a bit bigger to 37cm x 32cm and I used up all the shells. The more abstract pieces grew to 60cm x 80cm. This series pushed out of their rectangular confines, edging out of symmetry with at least one uneven edge. I love playing with composition in collage. It takes ages experimenting with all the bits and pieces. The studio gets full, some would say chaotic, but suddenly I find that very perfect piece of wood which makes that composition just right. Then I can stick it down forever fixed, satisfied, knowing it works. It’s a good feeling... you just know. The quirky pieces stayed small, around 23cm x 14cm, just big enough to hold the lost+found objects in their scene. Now I’m building big, if I dare, and want to edge them in thin edged zinc to off set the rough. And then that’s my cherished 5 year wood collection used, gone forever, from the sea to the wall. The machines are being sold, the off-cuts are scarce unless there’s another house build to scavenge. I make with what I find... so it will be time to look again.
Limited edition prints for sale in 3 sizes...
seascapes in wood Š 2014 hannah tofts seen, collected, dried, sawn, painted and glued in Argyll, West Coast Scotland 2009-2014
Exhibited Kintraw Barns winter 2009 and summer 2011 Various shows at Loch Melfort Hotel, Argyll Artworks for sale on request
Photographed and made by Hannah Tofts, www.hannahtofts.com Artworks photographed by Shannon Tofts, www.shannontofts.com Designed by Jan Battem, www.battem.com Printed by CreateSpace, www.createspace.com
Thank you mum for not minding (too much) me drying all my soggy driftwood on your AGA. Thank you Sandy for teaching me to use your machines with care. Thank you Reece and Simon for your off-cuts, sorry for stealing some.
seascape prints for sale: limited edition digital/giclee prints on 300gsm Hahnemuhle paper, in 3 sizes: 30x40cm, 50x70cm, 50x50cm Contact: hannahtofts@hotmail.com View the series: www.hannahtofts.com/seascape-prints-to-buy
dreaming of living by the sea 2013
the puzzle piece that’s me