'Tides', oil and gesso on board, 280 x 175 mm, 2017

'Strata', oil and gesso on board, 280 x 175 mm, 2017

Characterised by chalky shades and sorrowful washes, Martha Kelsey’s paintings belie their basic material: oil paints. Despite tackling a diverse range of figurative subject matter, Martha’s paintings frequently conjure a sense of earth and water. Uncertainty in her work is matched by the flux of her practice. She continues to test new ground in her Cheltenham studio, and regularly shows work across the South West. Her upcoming solo exhibition 'Latte Leninism' opens at the Vestibules, Bristol, in August 2017. More information at www.subject-action-object.com

I did it! I finally clicked launch, and it's all systems go! The crowdfunding campaign for Creative Countryside magazine is now live and waiting for your pre-order. 

If you want a bit more info, here are the highlights of what we're offering...

• For just £7 you can get a copy of the magazine. It's all about slow, seasonal living, and as it's the autumn edition ('gather') you can expect apples, hedgehogs, festivals, rain, fire, adventures and much more.
   
• If you've got green fingers opt for the £15 package that includes the magazine, a wooden seed dibber, a notebook and a herb mix Seedball (these are genius!) - limited number available. 
   
• Our mini seasonal package (£20) includes an organic beauty balm from Magic Organic Apothecary, mini beeswax candles and a copy of the magazine. 
   
• Go one step further and get the bigger seasonal package (£35) - you'll receive a recycled check blanket, organic tea and chocolate, an enamel mug, the magazine, AND you could win an overnight stay plus dinner and breakfast for 2! - limited number available. 

There are also discounts for bulk buying copies of the magazine (to share with friends, perhaps?) and if you're feeling splash with cash go for the handmade package that includes 2 incredible wooden candlesticks (made with no electricity!), a handcrafted stoneware bowl plus beeswax candles.

ONE LAST THING! 

If you know anyone else who might like the magazine, I'd be incredibly grateful if you could share the campaign on social media. Just use this link - https://igg.me/at/creativecountryside/x/16185632 - or use any of the share buttons on the campaign page. Thank you so much.

Today's Creatives in the Countryside are Honey and Karen from Will Work For Food, a creative partnership working to elevate the importance of sustainability, ethically produced food for a healthy, happy life.

Nicola: Will Work For Food is such a unique concept. Tell us where the idea came from. And how you use your creativity to support farmers and homesteaders?

Karen: Honey and I had been working together for several years on commercial projects. And we both shared a personal passion for sustainable agriculture. As well as small scale farming and food in general.

We started visiting a few farmers, talking to, and photographing them in their element.  We were blown away by how passionate, determined and hard working they were.  We knew we had to work in this area in some way.  We both had grand dreams of becoming farmers ourselves.  But the more time we spent with them, the more we realized neither of us was cut out for it!  Instead we decided to use our creative skills to work with farmers who farm in a sustainable and ethical way, in the hope of contributing to their success.

We began to notice a common element amongst the farmers. While they were incredible at growing food, they had little knowledge on how to market what they did. We knew the majority of farmers wouldn't have the money to pay for our services. So we came up with the idea of working for food, or at least taking part payment for our services in food, to make it more affordable. And so Will Work For Food was born.

It's grown and changed quite a bit since those early days. And we’re even more focused on contributing to the success of many small-scale farmers. 

We do this by photographing them. Sharing their story with a large audience. Helping to promote them.  And teaching them how to promote themselves to the right audience.

What do you love most about the work that you do?

We both come alive when we’re visiting with these farmers, it gives us such a high. 

There’s not much else we’d rather be doing. We feel privileged that these people welcome us into their lives and share their stories with us.  We learn so much by spending a day with them.

We both feel strongly that our food system in this country is broken.  In the words of Dan Barber, ‘in the rush to industrialise farming, we’ve lost the understanding, implicit since the beginning of agriculture, that food is a process, a web of relationships, not an individual ingredient or commodity’.  We want our work to contribute to helping people care about where their food comes from and how it is grown.  If we can do that, we feel like our contribution was valuable.

The Collins Farm

Even before starting Will Work For Food you were both living a simpler, more conscious life. Can you tell me how these journeys have changed your lives?

For me the catalyst was a combination of having young children and my own health issues. It's the same for a lot of people. Before that I was on the treadmill of life. Finishing school.  Working hard at University. Travelling. Getting a good job. Working crazy, long hours. Buying an expensive house and the best of everything. Then one day I 'woke up' and realised none of that mattered.

We are both concerned about the kind of world our children are going to inherit. It doesn't take a genius to know that the future our children face is going to be full of immense challenges. A rapidly growing population.  Rising sea levels.  Depleted natural resources.  And corporations and governments willing to sacrifice the health of the people and the planet, just to increase their bottom line.

We both joke that living a conscious life is like Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole. The more you learn, the more you, well, learn. And the more you learn, the more you care.

It's why sharing stories is a powerful way to inspire change. Once you know something, you can’t not know it.  The majority of people do care.  But they’ve fallen into a place of apathy.  And a bit of laziness too.  Sure, it’s a lot easier to buy your vegetables from the supermarket.  But what impact is your action having on the world?

How many chemical fertilisers were used to grow that food? How much of these were washed into waterways, killing marine and plant life? How much soil was destroyed and can never be used again?  And how much pollution was produced delivering these vegetables to the supermarket?

Jervoise Organic Meat

You both have children, so I’d love to know how you are guiding them to live a ‘free-range’ life.

This is one of the most important things to us. We want to raise our children to be future earth warriors and change makers. We want to ensure that they have every opportunity to learn about how to make the world a better place. That they’re aware of how their actions impact other people, animals and the earth. And we want them to be resilient. To know how to be self-sufficient, and to have the best possible chance at a healthy, happy life.

Sharing the message of sustainability and ethically produced food is the core of the work you do. For people who are unsure where to start on a similar journey, what is one thing you would suggest?

The most important and powerful thing anyone can do is to educate themselves. And to take responsibility for the food on their plate, and that of their children.

Ask questions. Don’t believe the marketing hype. Find out who grew your food and how it was grown.  It’s not just about whether your food choices contribute to the destruction of the environment.  But also about eating food with a high, nutritional content.  If the soil your food is grown in is full of chemicals, pesticides and depleted nutrients, how dense are the nutrients in your food going to be?

People seem to have forgotten that healthy earth = healthy people. One cannot survive without the other. And we cannot continue to go through life without a care for the impact of our lives on this planet.

 You can find Will Work For Food on Instagram. Visit their website here.

If you'd like your creative business to be featured in a similar post on Creative Countryside, get in touch by emailing Nicola (hello@nicolajudkins.com) or Eleanor (contact@creativecountryside.com). There is no payment involved; we just like to showcase creative talent whenever we can!

Today's Creative in the Countryside is Lucy from The Whispering Wild, a needle sculptor creating creatures with a tale to tell and a song in their heart.

Nicola: I’d love for you to start by telling us about yourself, your business and what drew you to the work you do?

Lucy: I must admit I find this question quite difficult to answer. My unconfident self always shies away at any question involving me. Over the past few years I have learnt that it’s much easier to tell you about myself via a story, so here we go.

‘I was a child that dreamt amongst the leaves and ached to feed my bare warm toes in cool mud. Nature was my ever-generous treasure chest. Gifting me sweet finds of nibbled nuts and pearlescent shells. I would store them for quiet admiration in used matchboxes and discarded film cases.

My struggles through my young life were always softened by the blackbirds’ song. Nature ran deep in my veins and I loved it whole-heartedly.  As I grew up my confidence retreated, hiding itself beneath a fortress of brambles in my soul.  I was constantly wandering my place, never fitting in.  I daydreamed about frosty morning fields for most of my teenage years.

After applying myself to jobs that never felt right, I realised my release was to come home and create the wonders I had seen.  Could I turn this passion into something that feeds me, as nature had done for my soul for all those years?  I worried that, with no formal training, I would dissolve into the background.  But once more Nature was there to reassure me she is my college of wild.  So I began, and with it the brambles that for so long encased my confidence began to flower.  So that is how I find myself sat here, in a shed under the willow tree with needle, wool and a shelf full of treasures. 

Tell us about the process of your work and where you draw your inspiration?

It is hard to pinpoint where my creations begin. The idea is hazy at first. Almost like a remembered dream. Or those sudden moments of realisation and déjà vu. I adore this part. It is the excitement and joining up of dots. That will be why I keep seeing herons. Or it's the ‘I knew this object would want to become something’. There is some part of me that knows, before my brain, what I’m going to create.

I tend to scribble or sketch ideas that come to me at all times of the day and night. It means my overused and well-thumbed journal is never far from my side.  I would say ninety percent of my ideas stay as just hat, and remain as a note in the margins.  But ten percent stick and start evolving. 

I used to find this frustrating, especially when I felt I had a brilliant idea. But this is one of many lessons I have learnt about myself. Never push it! Allow the flow and trust what comes, and what goes. Where the idea travels next is rarely within my control.

For many years I tried to be strict and stick to one medium. But I discovered that, like everything in this glorious world, individuality is a gift. My sculptures are a mix of wools, embroidery, silk, naturally dyed materials and found objects.  It can take anything from one day to six weeks to complete a piece.  Which gives them plenty of time to tell me their story.

As you can see I don’t have much say in what appears, which is why I feel like an imposter.  Creating a beautiful sculpture from an unknown origin of my brain or soul is a contract of trust I made long ago. 

My inspiration, muse, my all and everything is nature. It is safe to say I am in love with it.  From the cuteness of a cub, to the rich bones of a decaying creature.  There is hardly any part of a day I’m not thinking about nature, and no night passes without me dreaming of it.  I am overwhelmed by the magnificence of nature and how she shows herself. 

What does your workspace look like and what do you love most about it?

I live in a very unassuming, very ordinary ex council home in Somerset. When we moved here I realised I needed my own dedicated space. Money and space are tight so I needed to think outside of the box.

One day my husband and I were erecting a small shed we had moved from our previous home. A light bulb moment happened. Within 24 hours the 8x10 shed was insulated, painted, heated and had electricity.

I have been in this DIY studio under the twisted willow for two years now. Part of me would love a specially built space, but I do love how close I feel to the elements.  In summer the doors are wide open and the blackbird nearly comes inside to find cake crumbs.  The bees have no issue inviting themselves in.  Winter arrives and gloves are a must.  I get a childlike joy when the rain hits the roof.  Although it does disturb my Siamese cat from his peaceful sleep.

I know you love to tell the story behind each of your creations through your writing as well.  What is the best part of sharing these stories with others?

Telling the story is the most important part for me. I feel that without a story there is no life.  We all have a story and our creatures too.  So why would artwork be any different?

I would say it surprised me to know there were stories behind the pieces. But since a child I have looked for meaning in everything. At a very young age I was reading books about astrology and earth magic. I loved feeling connected to something I felt I understood.

There are countless depths and meanings in each sculpture. That all tangle together like the wool itself. I do have a crippling lack of self-confidence. Which sometimes makes it hard to share these tales that are often raw and close to my heart.

The only way I have found the ability share is through the support and kindness of my followers (aka friends!) on social media. Their understanding is a great comfort to me.  And the real treasure is that some feel, in turn, they can share their own tales with me.  It helps me more than they will ever know.  And I truly love them for it.

You donate some of your profits to the Butterfly Conservation Trust.  Can you tell us a little more about this?

Recently I have put into action a plan to donate money to charities through the sale of others and my artwork.  It has always been a dream of mine to give something back to the natural world that gifts me so much.  Sadly many artists find it difficult to make a living through their work.  And I am no exception.

I had been waiting for those magical numbers that meant I had the ability to donate.  But after hearing shocking statistics about the decline of one of our most precious habitats, the meadow, I knew I couldn’t wait any longer.  

Nature cannot wait until next month or even tomorrow, it needs us now! The statistic that took my breath away was this.  Since WW2 we have lost 97% of our wildflower meadows.  So I am creating four watercolour images of butterflies to be turned into prints and cards. 

I’m also running an online auction of butterfly, bee and moth inspired art.  Kindly donated by some of my favourite artists from around the world.  The auction will take place on the 6th of August 2017 on Instagram, on the page @giftthemwings.  Profits will be split between The Somerset Wildlife Trusts meadows project, and The Butterfly Conservation Trust.  I also hope to hold an exhibition next year inspired by the winged works of art that pollinate our planet.   

What message do you want to share with others through the work you do and the life that you live?

Good question! My life can be pretty complicated at times so I don’t claim to have much advice. If my creations make people think about the environment, that's the greatest gift I could ask for.

 You can find Lucy on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Visit her website here.

If you'd like your creative business to be featured in a similar post on Creative Countryside, get in touch by emailing Nicola (hello@nicolajudkins.com) or Eleanor (contact@creativecountryside.com). There is no payment involved; we just like to showcase creative talent whenever we can!

Today I'm introducing the work of Oska Von Ruhland, a creative writing graduate from Cardiff who's written about merfolk. Enjoy...

They used to wash up on the beach occasionally. It wasn’t very common and there was always a spectacle when they did. Usually the Marine Rescue Squad would show up and pull them back into the sea. MRS had these huge net things, and cars that could drive into the water, so that they didn’t have to touch them. They always looked confused to be there, and it wasn’t like you could talk to them to tell them the way the tide works. Sea creatures don’t understand why going near the shallows is a bad idea.

            It hasn’t happened for a few years. I almost miss them.

            I have to walk along the cliffs to get home. Every now and then I glance down at the golden sands where the sunset shimmers on the waves and turns the deep dark blue sea into a dancing fire. I used to use this time to remember those days. And then one day, I didn't have to remember any more.

            One of them had washed up high on the sand, thrashing its tail everywhere with its mouth agape. It was gasping and trying to scrabble back to the water. I zig-zagged down the steep path towards the beach and it stared at me with its wide yellow eyes. I had no clue what I was supposed to do. It looked like it had been there a while; its skin was dry and crusty with dirt and the more it moved the more tired it looked. The MRS would take too long to arrive. I tried to get my arms around it to move it, but it started to screech and waved around more. I hated it when they did that.

            “It’s okay, don’t be scared,” I tried to tell it.

            There’s no safe place to grab them from. The tail moves around too much and everything else is spikes or teeth. I had my arms around its middle and its webbed spines jabbed my stomach as it wriggled. I wasn’t expecting it to be so cold, or for its scales to be so smooth along its belly. I also wasn’t expecting the strong salty, fishy stink that filled my nostrils when I held it close.

            Suddenly a thought occurred to me and I said, “Wait here, I have an idea.”

            I got up in a rush and ran around the beach until I found a lost bucket. I filled it with sea water and ran back, then upturned the bucket over the wriggling creature. It flinched in surprise and stilled as the cool liquid spread over it.

            “There, now you won’t dry out,” I said. It seemed happy.

            As the water washed away all the sand and dirt, I saw the true colour of its scales. It was aqua blue with a white belly. Purple stripes ran all along its body, along its jaws and all the way down its tail. Its fins were nearly see-through with thick blue spines, and the tuft of hair on its head was a mix of pale yellow and green. It had a broad, flat nose and a beautifully decorated brow over huge golden eyes.

            I crouched down next to it and asked, “What’s your name?”

            It didn’t answer me. Instead it parted its thin lips and grinned with all its pointy teeth.

            I was disappointed, even though I knew they couldn’t talk. At least it was calm now, and wasn’t flailing everywhere. I began to pat at the sand, trying to make it as smooth and flat as possible. When I had done what I could do, I filled the bucket up again and poured it over the sand, making it smooth and slippery.

            I grabbed the sea creature’s tail and it struggled for a moment, but then saw that I was pulling it towards the sea. The fins were rubbery and twitched a little under my touch .It was lighter than I thought it would be. The slippery sand made it easy to get to the tide foam. It slid easily across the wet sand like a snake on ice.

            As soon as it was in the water it wriggled out of my grasp and jerked its tail once, shooting forwards before vanishing into the dark watery abyss. I was alone again.

            When I finally got home, I made sure to call the MRS about what happened. They set up nets over the next few days all along the coast designed to keep the larger sea creatures from washing up onto the shore. It was set so deep and far back that even if they did swim up to the nets, we wouldn’t see them. Still, it didn’t stop me from looking down at the beach every time I walked home.

After that, I never saw any of the Merfolk ever again.

Today I'm featuring the lovely Sarah from Say! Little Hen. Living in Queensland, Australia, she's passionate about organic and sustainable products and living, and is a woman who wears many hats when it comes to her creative business! 

Eleanor: Tell me a little bit about Say! Little Hen, and how it came into being.

Sarah: My business incorporates three of my favourite things - knitting, writing and baking sourdough. Under the one banner of Say! Little Hen I write a blog and run my online store, where I sell my knitting patterns, the eBook I wrote on spelt sourdough and now also natural fibre yarns. Selling my knitting designs was quite unintentional. I had a few designs already made, as I had previously knitted and sold items on my little market stall as a small hobby business. I was asked one day if I would sell the pattern for one of my most popular designs, Tea Mouse, and since I was no longer making and selling, I decided why not! From there I converted more of my scribbled notes into legible patterns, offering them for sale online and now, 2 years later, I am completely in love with designing and selling knitting patterns. Having an online yarn shop is something I’ve had on my “one-day” list for years, and at the beginning of this year, I decided there was no reason not to just go ahead and do it! So I did, and I’m loving growing this tiny little business day by day and seeing where it takes me.

E: You knit, design, bake and blog. Which do you prefer and why?

S: It’s almost impossible for me to choose between them, as each is fulfilling in its own way. Writing allows me to empty the thoughts out of my head, or focus in on one particular subject. Baking is both relaxing and rewarding - a slice of fresh sourdough with butter, enjoyed with a cup of tea is akin to a slice of cake! And knitting is delightful on so many levels - selecting the wool, watching the fabric grow beneath my hands. I love that I can take it anywhere and that it’s a good conversation starter when I do pull my needles out in public.

I guess, very narrowly leading in front, designing would have to be my favourite. It still amazes me when an idea I had in my head comes to life on my needles. When the sketching, calculating and frustrating process of casting on several times is over, and the design is sitting in front of me, all knitted up, looking exactly like (or sometimes better) than my original idea - it makes me smile and feel far more clever than I probably should. And getting to share that with other knitters in the form of a pattern is the icing on the cake.

 E: Where do you draw your inspiration from?

S: It depends entirely on what I’m working on. I’d say most of the time it comes from everything around me - the chickens, the bush and farmland around my house, the weather even.

It depends on whether I am choosing to work with a specific material; if that’s the case then I try to make something that shows it off to it’s best ability. But if I have an idea for a particular project, then I seek out a yarn that will compliment it perfectly. My latest design was one where the project had to match the yarn, and so I’ve ended up with a chocolate inspired beanie. It incorporates cables and is, of course, finished off with a pompom. I’m rather proud of this one and am dying to share it!

 E: What does an average day look like for you right now? 

S: The days can vary a lot, but no matter what they always start with tea, and whilst I drink that tea I am pestered by my more boisterous Border Collie to throw her toy for her - my other collie goes back to sleep if there are no birds to chase; she’s perpetually hoping for a sleep-in.

I usually check my emails and social media quickly before going to feed the chickens, which doubles as a walk for my dogs. I love this time outside as it gives me time to think about what needs doing for the day, mentally draft blog posts or article ideas and also think about my responses to any more complicated emails. Most of my best blog post ideas have been thought up in the chicken pen!

After replying to emails, messages and comments on social media, and perhaps posting on Instagram, I usually have breakfast and do one small housework job (hard to ignore when you work from home). I pack orders around lunchtime and post them in the afternoon, between that there is time for writing, talking to customers online (something I spend a lot of time doing), taking or editing photos and doing other general admin-type tasks.

By late afternoon it’s time for more tea and Border Collie time - they’re very good at making sure they get ample attention! I usually post on Instagram in the early evening and hop back on there later, as I find that’s when it’s most active during the week. I usually knit or squeeze in more writing if I have a deadline coming up too.

The best days are the ones when a yarn shipment is due to arrive. I live out of town so the couriers don’t deliver here, they drop my stock at a tiny service station ten minutes drive away, so I always stalk my tracking numbers like a crazy lady when they’re due to arrive, and jump in the car and collect them as soon as they come. It’s very exciting!

E: Tell us about your workspace - where can we find you?

S: My workspace is spread throughout the house. I've a small desk in the corner of my bedroom where my designing process begins on paper, and I also make up sample cards and do handwriting I need to (lists, first drafts, article ideas). Along with my diary and to-do lists, I keep a collection of things on my desk that make me happy, in turn inspiring me as I find happiness key to creativity. They include books, a little mushroom ornament that was a gift from a lovely friend, an inspirational quote card from my sister, design swatches and even my favourite childhood toy - a bear by the name of Winslow, who was the first thing I ever wrote about (I still have his little short story tucked away) and is now looking decidedly worn! Odd collections of things tend to collect on the end of the desk too - stamps, ribbons, sticky tape - there’s even a candle there at the moment! If I can’t sleep at night I tend to sit at my desk and either write or do some knitting sketches.

If I'm working on a pattern I usually do so on my bed - it's the only place in the house where I can comfortably knit for a prolonged period of time, which is important when I’m designing. It looks a lot like relaxing when I'm doing this but often it's the exact opposite! One of these days I’m going to take my knitting into a furniture shop and try out different armchairs to find one perfect for knitting in!

Yarn stock is usually unpacked on the dining room table, where I do waste some time patting and admiring it. Sometimes I pack orders here, too. And the computer is in a shared office space, overlooking the verandah where I do all of my product photography. I take my little piece of linen out there that I use as a background, all of my products that need photographing and balance one or two pieces of plywood painted white against a little step ladder, I use them to reflect light which reduces shadowing. My yarn is stored in sealed boxes in the linen cupboard & the top of my wardrobe - storage is limited here! Sometimes things being spread around makes tasks slower, but everything is achieved in the end and it’s great to be able to work with what I have.

 E: Why is it important for you to use natural fibres, and to choose ethical, sustainable and organic materials wherever possible?

S: I could fill a novel with the reasons why I think organic and sustainable choices are best. It’s something that’s talked about a lot now, and sometimes I think that makes people a little deaf to what’s actually being said. But there really is a need to do things organically, and find sustainable ways. In all honesty, I don’t really understand the need for chemical farming when the world functioned without it for a very long time, and modern farms have proven you can still farm that way.

With yarn, there really is nothing better than good quality natural fibres to work with.

Wool has this horrid reputation of being itchy, and I do acknowledge that there are plenty of woollen things out there giving testament to this bad rep. But there’s also a lot of good wool out there, and it’s the most deliciously soft stuff you can imagine.

There’s just something wonderful about natural fibres - they are more comforting, have more depth almost, than anything created synthetically. And when they are grown organically they have come from such healthy animals that the yarn is top-notch quality. It’s blissful to work with and wonderful to wear. I just can’t get enough of it!

 E: What’s so great about sourdough?! And what’s the one piece of advice you would give to novice bakers?

S: I love sourdough because of the flavour, and it’s versatility. Did you know you can make cakes and pastries with sourdough? It really is amazing stuff.

I’ve given quite a lot of advice to novice sourdough bakers, and the main thing I always tell people is not to be frightened of it. Sourdough seems to be something that becomes so scary to so many people, but it’s really not that complicated, and if you feel like it is, search for different methods or find simpler ways. Sourdough making should be fun, easy and simple - remember it’s only flour and water.

 E: What plans do you have for the business in the future?

S: Oh, so many plans! I’d really love to teach knitting classes, and perhaps even put together an online course for those who don’t live nearby. I love being able to help and encourage people with their craft because it’s such a fun and wonderful thing to do and I hate the idea of people giving up because they couldn’t get the help they needed. I’d love to teach sourdough classes for the same reasons, too.

I’d really love to also see my business thriving enough to perhaps employ a few people, although I do plan to stay intentionally small. And perhaps, in the very far off future, I’d stock my own brand of yarn. Whether it would be yarn I had dyed myself, grown or hand spun I’m not sure of, but one or all of those things would be simply amazing.

 You can find Sarah on Instagram and Facebook. Visit her blog and online shop.

If you'd like your creative business to be featured in a similar post on Creative Countryside, get in touch by emailing contact@creativecountryside.com. There is no payment involved; we just like to showcase creative talent whenever we can!

The woods by my house don’t have a name.

I was map-gazing at 4am when I learnt this.

By 5, I’m still slightly angry – or if not angry, then

Bemused

How could somewhere so important be so

easily dismissed

to warrant not even a patch of green

on a cartographer’s screen

now etched permanently, ironically, into ‘the real’

by smartphone scribblings

Because that place is

everything;

The root from where my half-formed self

half formed itself

through years of afternoon wanderings

Spring, summer, autumn – break

Something happened,

between the dew of March

                           and the July heat

                                         and the September mulch

of modest, glorious trees.

I fought through leaves, and brambles

cleared my lungs by the Kenwyn stream

marching ever upwards to defeat

but starting here, proudly,

Rightly. 

This is where I come to write, to lie, to listen

to perch, and burrow

away from dog-walkers, ramblers, fellow wanderers

To them, this place is theirs.

To me, it is mine –

Simple.

Sublime.

I grew here.

And I have loved here, too.

Brought friends

to see what I have seen –

the place in my dreams.

I regretted it, endlessly

You shouldn’t let others see your dreams

or even know that they can;

like when I saw that girl by the tree – 

           – oh, the ignominy –

It must have been the same for her

But I have forgotten all that now, 

and by morning,

I’m clearer – accepting, even –

of the anonymity,

              the casual, relentless being

of this stretch of land,

so beautifully ignored

Because in my head,

it is still wild, undiscovered

A secret garden

where I can look over my kingdom –

amid the yellow, coconut gorse

              and the dew,

                             and the hills of this valley –

I too become uncharted,

Embedded.

And now, it pleases me

that somewhere so important

can go so unseen

to warrant not even a patch of green

on a cartographer’s screen

How many more hidden, personal wonders

must there be?

As close as this,

                            as deep,

                                           as needed?

It is testament to our world,

that something so incredible

is so effacingly normal –

wonder in ubiquity

God’s divine, humble scribblings

The woods by my house don’t have a name.

Or, the name is silence:

            it would die if you said it.

Because it is inseparable –

through the seasons, it remains.

An unrequiting love.

And despite all this, despite everything:

I still believe

          I am the only one who knows about it.

Richard from Salvation describes his furniture as 'style with soul', and today I'm thrilled to feature this small, creative business with a real passion for an artisan approach...

Eleanor: Tell me a little bit about your business, and how it came into being.

Richard: Salvation (www.salvationfurniture.com) started about four years ago. I’d worked in publishing and communications for years, but felt a deep need to try something altogether different. A new challenge. I’ve always been a real auction addict, bidding on forlorn-looking pieces of country pine to repair and rejuvenate in my workshop. This passion for old and character furniture was the catalyst to do something bigger. And while I wanted to create furniture with an instantly natural warmth and convivial feel, I didn’t want it to be too quaint and ‘chocolate-box-cottage’. I decided that reclaimed and character wood combined with sleek and angular steel was the perfect partnership of old and new.

E: You describe your furniture as ‘style with soul’ – what do you mean by this?

R: It’s a real artisan approach. I’m working with my own hands or with other small makers, so it’s not a huge factory operation churning out replica pieces. Everything Salvation makes is unique. The steel will have the grinding marks left in place and each piece of wood is individual with its own character - that’s the appeal to me. I don’t like things to be too ordered, but more natural, rustic, relaxed and lived-in for a welcoming and ‘soulful’ feel. They’re the kind of tables where family and friends can gather, relax, catch-up and share good food. The heart of the home.

E: Where do you draw your inspiration from?

R: I love the look of antique country furniture, like Welsh stick chairs and oak refectory tables. They’re the kind of pieces that have so much character and look wonderful when placed in a modern setting, as a great counterpoint to clean white walls and airy spaces. They have an instant charm. I try to replicate that look, but also giving it a modern twist to make it relevant to today’s interiors.

E: What does an average day look like for you right now? Tell us a bit about your workspace too.

R: The average day, like any small business owner, is about wearing a huge array of hats. That can mean sanding wood, answering email enquiries, driving frames to the local powder coaters, wrapping orders for delivery, trying to squeeze in some Instagram posts and tweets, updating the website, paying invoices… It’s a long list that doesn’t seem to get shorter! My small workshop is tucked away up a winding road in the wilds of Suffolk, near to Woodbridge. It’s a former pig shed (the glamour!) piled high with wood and tools. The radio is usually on, the dog likes a snooze in the doorway, and I’m partial to a good coffee break when the above list allows!

E: Any favourite projects or designs?

R: I’m currently looking at using character timber, alongside reclaimed wood. I’ve always loved the look of character oak, which retains the odd knots and whirls in the grain. It’s a naturally beautiful work and very warm when finished. Some recent examples are the Lily oak dining table (named after my daughter) and the Kenton oak dining table, which has a ‘farmhouse feel’ with a modern edge. Elsewhere, I like the edges on birch plywood, and have recently created the Hoo dining table, which has a distinctly pared back, Scandi feel.

E: Briefly take us through the process of ordering a bespoke piece of furniture.

R: It’s a really simple process and allows customers to get, for example, a dining table that fits their space perfectly, rather than having to compromise with a standard, mass-produced piece. A customer contacts me with their preferred dimensions and we chat about the style of frame they would like and the wood for the top. Once everything has been agreed, it then takes around 6-8 weeks (depending on how busy we are) to get the table made and delivered to them.

E: What plans do you have for the business in the future?

R: To carry on making pieces that make a home feel warm and inviting. People live incredibly busy lives today so it’s important that they take a little time each day to shift down a gear, switch off the gadgets, relax and catch-up. A modern rustic dining table is the perfect place to do that. I’d also love to extend the range of items Salvation stocks; so working with other small makers would be brilliant.

You can find Salvation on Instagram and Twitter. Visit their website here.

If you'd like your creative business to be featured in a similar post on Creative Countryside, get in touch by emailing contact@creativecountryside.com. There is no payment involved; we just like to showcase creative talent whenever we can!

Today we're excited to feature another small, creative business that takes its inspiration from the natural world. Deborah Vass is a painter and printmaker, and her work is centred on her garden and the surrounding countryside in the Waveney Valley. Over to her...

I have always drawn and painted and while I have exhibited my work in galleries, the discovery of such mediums as Instagram and Pinterest have allowed me to record my work daily and chart both my process and the seasonal changes, while giving me immediate and valuable feedback . My Etsy shop (almost ready!) and website allows me to present my work to a wider audience.

Although my work encompasses a variety of mediums, the common thread is a celebration of nature. My oil paintings are either: intricate and detailed studies of plants, tracing their journey from seed to decay; or, during the summer, I paint outside and love capturing the abundance and colour of the season and the plants I grow.

I draw and make studies in my sketchbooks throughout the year and these sketches can evolve into painting and prints, months or even years later. They are a way of capturing the fleeting changes of the season and are often snatched responses to moments in nature.
Printmaking is a very different medium and process. I love the combination of art and craft and find the process of carving out a print in lino very meditative. Such images arrive slowly and are frequently the result of several quite separate sketches. Birds are a favourite subject, and I like to try to capture their behaviour and habitat in the final composition.

A more recent strand has been capturing plants in plaster plaques. The idea came from a favourite childhood book, “Looking at Nature,” and were originally intended to capture and record plants while in season as reference material, but have since become works in their own right and I love composing groups of seasonal flowers and stems.

As a keen gardener, growing and nurturing plants provides an infinite supply of subject matter. Growing a plant from seed gives a particular insight and interest into its form and structure, whether it is a flower or vegetable. I love the starkness of winter and then love the colour and profusion of spring and summer – whatever season it is at the time, it is the time I love most!
I also draw inspiration from the local Suffolk Wildlife Trust Reserve, called Redgrave and Lopham Fen. I walk there regularly and it is one of the few places I feel comfortable drawing and sketching outdoors, it feels like an extension of home. It is a place of great peace and natural beauty.

The work of natural history writers also informs my work. I love the work of local writers Richard Mabey and the late Roger Deakin, whose writings alert your senses to the world around you; and also Flora Thompson and Richard Jefferies, and the poets Edward Thomas and Ted Hughes, whose observations make you look afresh.

Natural history books are a further source of joy and information. I still love and treasure my early Ladybird and Observer books and have an ever- increasing collection of bird and flower guides!

I need little encouragement to disappear for hours in to the studio! Having combined my artwork with a career in teaching English, I grab and relish what time I have. My painting is always from life and I tend to paint quickly, and until it is finished, in the garden or in the landscape to capture the plant or moment that fired me. My printmaking is a slower, more thoughtful process, combining sketches and ideas over several days. My press is a converted mangle, a somewhat capricious beast, and I love the final reveal of printing at the end of the planning and carving process.

My studio is a converted outbuilding overlooking the garden. Heating is an issue in winter, when it can get very cold indeed, but it is very peaceful and cut off from any other distractions.

In the future, I want to create an annual record of plants that are often overlooked, in sketches and paintings, throughout the year and would like to create a collection of bird prints in a similar vein. I have plans to develop my Etsy store, extend my portfolio and use my print art work on other products, but most importantly, I want to keep doing what I am doing. It gives me enormous pleasure and satisfaction and there is always the joy of another season ahead.

You can also find Deborah on Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest. Visit her Etsy shop here.

If your creative business takes inspiration from the natural world, and you'd like to be featured in a similar post on Creative Countryside, get in touch by emailing contact@creativecountryside.com. There is no payment involved; we just like to showcase creative talent whenever we can!

Welcome to our first installment of Creative in the Countryside. Over the coming months and seasons I will be bringing you the stories of some fascinating creative people and learning all about their relationship with the countryside and how it shapes their creativity.

First up is Alicia Hall of Botanical Threads. Alicia creates dyes from all kinds of botanicals (but usually the skins and stones of the avocados she’s eaten that week!), and uses them to create beautiful scarves, tea towels, and, in the very near future, clothing. As a blogger interested in slow and simple living, botanical dyeing seems like the perfect slow activity, from the weeks of pre-preparation and the days spent soaking, so I jumped at the chance to find out more.

I asked Alicia to tell us a little more about botanical dyeing, and got to grips with her relationship with nature and the countryside.
 

First things first for the uninitiated: what is botanical dyeing?

Botanical dye is a dye that is made using part or all of a plant. For example rosemary and lavender produce a dye from their leaves, the madder plant produces a dye from its roots, and the dye from avocados is extracted from their stones and skins. The dyes can be extracted just by soaking the plants in hot water, though sometimes they need the addition of chalk or iron to enhance the colours.
 

How did you get into botanical dyeing?

During the day I work as a gardener for the National Trust and I first came across botanical dyeing in a gardening book. I then spent the next 3 weeks collecting carrot tops from the vegetable garden at work and made my first dye: a lovely green colour that I dyed a canvas bag with.

Unfortunately I discovered that carrot top dye is not in the slightest bit colour-fast and within a few days the green colour had faded to almost nothing, so this led me to spend a long time researching and practicing techniques.

How does your work as a gardener influence your creativity?

It sounds a little strange but whenever I take something to the compost bin I wonder if I could use it to make a dye. I suppose it's a bit like the gardener who won't throw away any of the seedlings he's sown - even if he's got fifty good ones he still wants to keep the crooked and poorly-looking ones too. I always wonder if my wheelbarrow of deadheads and plant cuttings could hide the secret to a wonderful new dye colour that I'm yet to discover.
 

What is it that you love about botanical dyeing and creating in the countryside?

I really love plants and to me it’s a new way to connect with nature. There’s something really nice about creating beautiful things from natural ingredients, especially in the chemical filled world that we are living in. It makes me look a the world in a different way and I feel like I am keeping up a forgotten art. This is what we did before we created chemical dyes.

Everyone here in the countryside is just so friendly. I don't know if it's because there's less of us and we have to travel a little further to get to each other, but everyone stops for a chat and says hello. There's a sense of community and people seem to want to work with you, rather than compete with you.

The beautiful thing about botanical dyes is that they can be unpredictable: the age of the plant, the soil that it is grown in, the water used for making the dye and how the plants have been stored can all affect the colour of the dyes. Sometimes this can mean a subtle shift in tones, whereas other times this can mean a totally different colour is produced (for example, goldenrod flowers produce a yellow if they are open and a green dye is produced if the plant is used before it is flowering).

Why is it important to you to be connected with nature in your dyeing?

Because I use plant-based fabrics and obviously plants to make my dyes I feel it's important to understand where they came from and how they grow. I suppose it would be a bit like a cheese maker not knowing that the milk they used came from cows. Getting out in nature and seeing it grow and thrive also reinforces for me how important it is for small businesses like myself to do all they can to protect out beautiful world and to use processes that have the least negative impact possible.
 

How are you inspired by the countryside more generally?

Sometimes my mind is so busy that I need to get out in the fresh, open air to clear it and the countryside is the best way to do that. I also think that Mother Nature really does come up with the best ideas: different colour combinations of flowers that have self seeded together gives me ideas for new colours to try out or an overgrown patch filled with nettles makes me wonder if I can use the weeds that everyone else thinks are a pain.
 

This is a question I’m going to ask everyone, and I can’t wait to compare all the answers! Where in the world is your favourite countryside?

My favourite countryside is where I live on the Wiltshire/Somerset border. I am such a home bird! I think because I originally come from the other side of the country that I appreciate my surrounding landscape that little bit more, as it's all still relatively new to me. It's funny to think that when I was younger I dreamed of living in London whereas now I love driving down country lanes, getting held up by tractors and flocks of turkeys (true story).

And it's not all just green fields and hedges here. We have the famous white horses, stone circles and I can often hear the army practicing whatever they practice on Salisbury Plain. Often on a Sunday afternoon the noise travels so far that it makes the windows in my house rattle. I also love the hilly, undulating landscape which gives me views for miles, and I love to observe the changing scenery. At the moment I am really looking forward to the first signs of the yellow rapeseed fields.

You can find Alicia on Instagram @botanicalthreads (all images in today's post are from this account) to see more of the behind the scenes of her process. Her store is at www.botanicalthreads.co.uk, but keep checking back as she sells out quickly!

This post was inspired by an earlier interview I did with Alicia on my blog where we covered botanical dyeing in more detail.

Today we're thrilled to feature a small, creative business that takes its inspiration from the natural world. Jess at Wold Couture designs the most beautiful wedding dresses and accessories, drawing on her local environment to inspire and motivate her creative process. Over to her...

The dress that launched Wold Couture: initially inspired by the dawn chorus, it later came to be known as the Cobweb Dress.

Wold Couture began in essence when I lived and worked in London, but it only truly came into its own when I moved back to the Lincolnshire Wolds - where I spent most of my childhood - and became inspired by the surrounding beauty once more.

Though I designed and made bridal-wear in London, the business itself was launched from one dress inspired by the dew-covered cobwebs I saw as I walked through the Wolds. This dress still features in the bridal collections today, and is, I believe, testament to the power and longevity of natural patterns and design.

Our style overall is quite romantic and incorporates some vintage twists as well as lots of delicate decoration influenced by nature. Both decoration and silhouette are inspired in part by what I find outdoors - flowers, clouds, the shapes of trees - but I find the best ideas come when you’re not looking for them. On a weekend walk to somewhere new, in the bath, whilst travelling – sometimes a design comes fully formed into my mind and I’m not entirely sure how it got there.

Dresses inspired by (left) stratus clouds, (top right) alto-stratus clouds and (bottom right) trailing roses.

The design is just one part though, and what comes next is much more work. To take this idea and turn it into a fully formed and functioning dress certainly takes an alarming amount of coffee, very little sleep and plenty of arguments with the sewing machine. I design and make in my workshop in a sea of fabric and by the time I am done I need another week just to find the floor again. Luckily, the view from my window out onto the fields ensures a constant supply of inspiration, particularly because the view changes not only seasonally, but throughout each day too. Early evening is the most beautiful time to look out, and I can watch the sunset and cloud formations across the vast expanse of the Lincolnshire skyline - it's wonderful!

Currently, I'm working on a few exciting projects. First is a look-book for two of my favourite dresses that I'll send to potential stockists - it's been great fun scouting locations to shoot the dresses, whether in an urban environment to contrast with the design, or out in the countryside near home.

Alongside this we are also finishing up a new accessories range which will soon be available online. As the business is so intertwined with where its located, I think it's so important to keep connected in as many ways as possible. Recently I started tutoring at a local gallery (click here to find out more) - the courses cover everything from upcycling to hand embroidery, and are a great way to chat about ideas, share my passion with fellow creatives, and get more involved in the local community. Finally(!), I'm also studying myself - I'm halfway through a masters degree in fashion with hopes to launch a collection of sustainable ‘slow’ fashion sometime next year.

Wold Couture has always been about bespoke design, but over the next few months we'll be focusing more on the collections, which will enable me to do more of what I love: designing.  If all goes to plan we hope to be employing a small team of seamstresses to work on both bridal and fashion collections in order to maintain our 'Made in England' brand. I can't wait.

Thanks Jess - sustainable 'slow' fashion sounds just up our street!

If your creative business takes inspiration from the natural world, and you'd like to be featured in a similar post on Creative Countryside, get in touch by emailing contact@creativecountryside.com. There is no payment involved; we just like to showcase creative talent whenever we can!