Laura Drever

The studio has been a busy place, February has slipped away in a bit of a haze of busy. There have been a few highlights worth mentioning – walks, completed projects, messages from folk that have hung their paintings in their homes. New paintings started.

My Monday mornings usually start with a coastal walk. I find it a good way to start the week to get my head switched to being creative. This morning I headed out East to Roseness to a spot walked regularly. A great circular.

It was so windy on the walk that all I could think about was getting to where I wanted to go. The winter early morning light was doing the thing I like best and making the wind blown tussocks look golden and weathered and worn. The dog was scratching his back every now in again in the grasses, getting comfy, enjoying the surroundings. Signs of new growth were visible. The waves were spraying over the cliffs and my skin felt a bit salty when I got home.

At the end of last week I was delighted to assist Evie in completing her printmaking project with Soulisquoy Printmakers. Evie Hone is a young adult and artist with a learning disability, who I support and encourage in her creativity.

The original artwork for ‘Nikita and the Shells‘ was created by Evie, using a ‘scraper’ board type technique – ‘drawing’ through a layer of dark paint to reveal bright colour beneath. The image was created following a visit to the beach and Stromness Museum to study and collect shells.  In addition, the work also reflects Evie’s fondness and affection for the dancer Nikita Kuzmin. Carol Dunbar then edition the woodcut and screenprint print at Soulisquoy.

I think it is wonderful! Nikita and the shells can be purchased from the Pier Arts Centre shop or here

It’s been great to make headway on paintings for my new collection. Hours spent mark making, responding to light and movements in the landscape. This time of year feels like an exciting time to paint as the weather can be so dramatic and wild – but then we get days that are so calm and the light just makes everything look lush. I don’t have a favourite time of year but if you were to ask me today, it would be this time of year. In July, I will be sure to give another answer.

I’d like to share an excerpt written by Andrew Parkinson, Curtator, The Pier Arts Centre that accompanied Teebro – 2022 solo exhibition:

“The modern Orkney landscape is characterised by the agricultural developments of the last 150 years or so, which saw a complete transformation in appearance from common grazing and piecemeal cultivation, to squared-off, drained and ordered fields. The higher up and more difficult to reach places, that proved impossible to put under the plough, endured, and most outlooks across the islands are capped by a contrasting layer of rough grass and heather. It is to these more rugged and untamed landscapes that Laura Drever is most often attracted, and repeated visits to places like Orphir, Hobbister and Scapa have given the artist a deep understanding of the fabric and form of these and other iconic Orkney landscapes. Hoy (or Háey, the high island), is also a favoured location.”

Lots to do before March arrives. The days are getting longer and lighter.