We wanted to use this as an opportunity for a ‘shout out’ for some of the local and independent artists and makers from which we have found inspiration.
We love vintage travel posters and so when we discovered Becky Bettesworth’s range which we have up in the lounge, we were sold! Becky is Devon based and some of her prints are for sale in Everything Westward on the green.
In the main bedroom we have a couple of prints that just reminded us of those summer days walking the coast path and discovering beaches and coves. These are by Rebecca Vincent who is based in Northumberland although the prints are reminiscent of the bays, beaches and headlands of North Devon and the sand dunes or ‘burrows’ that lead to the beach. Rebecca describes her artwork as being ‘for people who respond to the natural world and want to bring some of the outdoors, indoors, to appreciate it every day’. These particular prints she describes as that ‘moment when you're on the way to the beach, excitement building, and you get your first glimpse of the sea and the inviting sand’ and ‘about the joy and anticipation of approaching the sea and moving through the varied flowers and grasses along the way’.
One of our favourite things to do is watch the progression of the tide in and out and we are fascinated by the science behind it. In the upstairs hallway we have a ‘Tidal Compass’ made just for this area by William Thomson. The outer [dark blue] ring shows the time of high tide for each of the main moon phases, while the inner [white] ring shows the direction currents flow every hour before and after high tide. For the hours in blue, currents flow in the direction of the blue arrow and for the hours in orange, currents flow in the direction of the orange arrow. With this information, you can predict what the tides and currents will be doing on any day, simply by observing the moon phase.