News — beachcombing

Fiona MacRae’s new series of mixed-media works brings together found timber and other sea-worn surfaces gathered over a lifetime of beachcombing along Scotland’s west coast.

The artist writes: “When Covid hit, we had just sold our house on Tiree of 54 years. A lifetime of beachcombing finds was cleared from the house and my immediate thought was, if I die, this will all be dumped or burnt. All these bits of wood have had a previous life, ended up in the sea for whatever reason, possibly crossed the ocean. They are about drawing attention to things we would normally disregard and my observation of colour in my immediate environment; no two colours are the same as I am constantly mixing.”

If you follow Broth, it won't surprise you that one of my favourite things to do is visit artists at their studio. Call me a nosy parker but stepping into an artists workspace is for me like entering Ali Baba's cave- you never know what riches you're going to find. Fiona MacRae's studio in rural Argyll is one such place that never disappoints. Tucked away up a meandering track in mossy woodland, Fiona's studio is a treasure trove of spectacles.Having beachcombed her entire life, Fiona MacRae's studio is a shrine to both natural and man-made forms scavanged from the shoreline. There are whalebones, coloured sea glass, mermaid purses, driftwood and calcified sea creatures, but also a confetti of plastic odds and ends, corroded rubber and knarled bits of oxidised metal. Wherever you look, there's something to marvel at.

Over the years, it has become abundantly clear that beachcombing is an important part of MacRae's practice. It works its way- albeit surreptitiously- into her paintings by means of colour, texture and form, and is used directly in her assemblage artwork. For this reason, I was curious to learn more about her love of beachcombing, how it informs her art-making and where it all started.

Read on to discover more about Fiona MacRae and her delightful art.