Environmental Art Trail
Part of our work is about education and raising awareness of the effect we have on the environment. Our art trail has been created by both professional & amateur artists who all gave their time & talent free.
The designs are all linked to the environment with the artists chosen after submitting their own designs for consideration
01 ‘Let It Bee’ by Claire Shilton
Let it Bee! Inspired by my love of music, nature and my concern of continued use of pesticides harmful to bees. It makes no sense to kill our pollinators! I like nature to look wild and dishevelled and so do the insects - bit like going to a Beatles gig though I was too young for that, sadly.
I studied Graphic Design at Portsmouth Art School in the early 80's & 90's and have always been concerned about the environment and green issues. I have lived in Dorset for 13 years and feel very lucky to have landed on Portland just over a year ago. I have the wildness of the island and the musical hub of Weymouth, I love it here.
claireshilton@hotmail.com
02 ‘Insects’ by Julia Sinclair
Insects are in all our environments on the earth. There are approximately 90 million different species (source: Wikipedia) they change/metamorphose 3 or 4 times in their short life, they walk in a tripodal fashion; alternating three legs in a triangle on the ground, they have an exoskeleton and a three-section body, and often we hardly notice them but they are a very important part of the worlds structure and ecosystems.
I taught Product Design to a variety of students in many different schools and colleges. Product Design looks at the material choice, its manufacture, the carbon footprint, its sustainability and amongst other things its ability to be recycled.
The work 'Insects' is a depiction of a seascape with rock stratification foreground and a windswept tree on the grass edge with a variety of flowers
silhouetted and then many illustrated insects within the tree, flowers and rocks.
I wanted to show a variety of insects that stand out and are so important to our ecosystems and how despite changing they leave nothing behind in fact they tidy up by eating detritus and turning it into organic matter. They are the food source for the small birds, animals and reptiles.
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03 ‘Gebo’s Fibonacci’
by Dan Almond and Laura Urquhart
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Be kind to yourself, so you can be kind to others
Be kind to the earth, so it can be kind to us.
Kindness is the greatest Wisdom.
Gebo's Fibonacci is about restoring balance both in terms of nature and ourselves. Gebo means gift; and in this instance the balance of giving and taking and Fibonacci represents the formula that runs through nature and art - sometimes referred to as the golden ratio it can be seen in spirals and patterns in nature. Nature is amazing! Gebo's overall message is: Lets treat nature and ourselves with more kindness and compassion and restore the balance between giving and taking.
Laura Urquhart and Dan Almond (both local artists and teachers) formed Gebo over lock-down. Our aim is to promote well being using creativity. We write and put on plays, songs, short films and create works of art, often using humour - when people laugh & smile - it is a sign of wellbeing! We hope that Gebo Fibonacci makes people of all ages smile as they make their way through the winding streets and houses of Weymouth and Portland.
04 ‘It’s Our Home Too’
by Sharon Hutchings
I wanted my cabinet design to represent the wildlife that surrounds us and to give awareness that our actions on the environment have consequences to them as well.
The animals in the design have direct links to Weymouth and to the Weymouth and Portland marine litter project. For example, the Crab symbolises the crab line recycling program, the Bearded tit has connections to the local nature reserve at Radipole, and the Seahorse represents the life under the sea, which we sometimes forgets is affected by our actions on the surface.
Growing up in Dorset has always enabled me to get close to nature. I personally have a strong passion for our beautiful wildlife and believe this is
reflected in the artwork that I produce. I work in a range of mediums, specialising in pen, watercolour and acrylic.
www.facebook.com/sharonhutchingsartandphotography
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05 ’Skolstrejk för Klimatet’
by Smithsonian Rosterino
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My work covers a variety of disciplines including mixed media collage, painting, assemblage, digital media and music.
I have always been a collector and had a magpie attitude to the things that inspire me. Ultimately, at its most basic, the materials I accumulate shape and inform my pieces and working process. These ‘ingredients’ can vary from magazine and newspaper cuttings to sound recordings and objects from charity shops and flea markets.
In the case of the two Openreach boxes I have painted, the imagery used was inspired by conversations I had with the public whilst painting them. Some mushrooms appear, because I had a conversation with someone about foraging. Greta Thunberg appears because two young people talked about her and so on!
When compiled and collaged together all these components create intricate layered compositions that deal with comparably complex subjects of climate breakdown and the ecological crisis.
https://www.rost-collage.com
https://www.instagram.com/rost76rwc/
https://www.facebook.com/rostRWC
06 ‘Mermaid Tears’
by Sam Currie
My mural named ‘Mermaid Tears’ was inspired by the fact that sadly so much of our plastic waste ends up in the ocean. The plastic gets broken down by the waves into tiny little pieces, which are called ‘Mermaid Tears’, they don’t disappear they just get smaller and smaller, being ingested by all kinds of sea-life. This is not ok, and people don’t realise the irreversible damage it is doing to all the sea creatures. I decided to depict this by painting a mermaid who is crying tears of plastic. I hope my message gets across to those who see my painting.
I am a self taught Artist, and have lived in Dorset since I was 9 years old.
I paint unique commission portraits and pet portraits for clients all over the world using watercolour, acrylic or oils.
Instagram and Facebook @samcurrieart
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07 ’Leave only footprints’
by Emma Cartwright
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I wanted my cabinet to focus on the message of taking home whatever you bring to our beaches so they remain as pristine as possible while still letting us humans and the local wildlife enjoy them.
I chose to use a simplified bold style for a town centre cabinet so it would be bright and eye catching.
As I progressed the sun morphed into a sunflower to represent the Ukrainian run sunflower cafe next to the cabinet.
I’ve been living in Weymouth for 23 years and working as a secondary school Art teacher all that time. My training was in visual communication and photography but I have always practised a wide range of media techniques and processes.
08 ‘Plastic Free Sea’
by Chelsea Brooks
I wanted to explore the relationship between the brightly coloured aesthetic of Alexandra Gardens and the calm serenity of the ocean. I chose to use an image of a bold octopus playing with a plastic bottle to warn of the dangers produced by single use plastics.
I've lived in Weymouth my entire life, surrounded by the beautiful beach and always being inspired by nature. Having just finished my A-Levels I am eager to create as much art as possible!
Instagram @Lexical.ink
09 'Sunrise'
by Charlie Pascoe
My name is Charlie Pascoe I'm 19 from the isle of Portland. I studied art at Weymouth college and then worked locally as a print technician. I'm now a self employed artist and run every part of my business here in Weymouth and Portland. I love to paint local scenes in a vibrant and exciting way.
I am also very passionate about nature conservation and climate activism, i have worked with many nature reserves to capture the beauty of our natural world and hopefully inspire people to think about how we look after are planet. I have worked with national nature reserves in Cornwall, but also internationally like in New Zealand and Hawaii.
Facbook: charlie pascoe art
Instagram: charlie_pasc0e.arts
10 ‘Turtle’
by Paige Miller
I am a 14 year old Art student from All Saints. I noticed my passion for art in year 7 and have loved it ever since.
I chose this design as in Art, we studied Natural Forms, and whilst looking at Tamara Philips work I became inspired by marine life. Although turtles are not indigenous to UK waters, our actions can affect marine life worldwide’.
When I saw on Facebook about the Environmental Trail Boxes, I knew I wanted to do it and exactly what I would paint.
11 'Lets make a Difference'
by Su Baudrey, Ali Leatherbarrow, Barbara Goddard, Kathy Pearce, Michelle Fraser, Carol Fitz, Michelle Eastlake
Our box represents Let's work together to protect our environment. Every small action counts towards making a big impact. By being mindful of our actions, we can help reduce the harm to our oceans, wildlife, and natural landscapes.
Let's choose to make a positive change today, for a better tomorrow.
Join us in our mission to increase environmental awareness and protect our planet for future generations.
Together, we can make a difference.
12 ‘Egret Regret’
by Lucy Volpin.
I wanted to celebrate the beautiful bird life within our Dorset coastline and nature reserves and to capture the wild and racing winds that Weymouth and Portland are so well known for. Hidden within the painting, amongst the reeds and Egret nests, litter can be spotted, highlighting the sometimes sad effects that the human kind has brought over the years to our natural areas.
I hope this art piece inspires conversation between child and adult regarding the diverse ecosystem we have here in Dorset and how we can, as a team, prevent litter from entering and damaging it.
I gained my illustration degree in 2011 and from then have worked as a children’s illustrator, creating interactive books that spark humour and conversation between the reader and the child. I am also an ambassador for Dorset Reading Partners, a charity that provide support for children considered as reluctant readers.
@volpinillustrated
Thanks to:
Claire Nuttall for her support, artistic advise and input.
Alan and his team at Brewers Decorating Centre Weymouth for their
donations and support for this project.
https://www.brewers.co.uk/stores/weymouth/WMT
Tim at Dulux Decorating Centre Weymouth for his kind donation of paint.
duluxdecoratorcentre.co.uk
Litterfree Dorset Land Coast & Sea