Seafaring Spirit

April 19, 2025

The Newhaven Coastal Rowing ‘Seafaring Spirit, Newhaven Maritime Festival’ is nearly here - 26th April, 10.00-16.00 at Newhaven Harbour – as part of the EDINBURGH 900 celebrations.

Join Isla, the Oyster Diviner (Merav Israel, dancer) and community musician and songwriter Caro Overy for a ritual blessing of our recently reintroduced oyster beds. At 2.10pm-2.30pm, Caro will lead us in singing two new songs, to celebrate and honour the heritage and future of Newhaven’s oysters, dedicated to the restoration.

Caller O'u

June 30, 2023

I’ve been thinking about oysters for a while and trying a few ways of reflecting on them. The Restoration Forth project is a real and admirable attempt to bring back native oysters to the Forth. I wanted to support that ambition, and their call to the community for representations of 100 Species with a ritual.

Corona Babies

June 12, 2020

On March 15th 2020, I began 14 days of self isolation, understanding that I may have caught Coronavirus. In April, my full time working hours were reduced and by May I was furloughed. I began obsessing over the infinite representations of the virus, as a mirror of infinite versions of truth. Spring also found me looking at buds and pollen and marine forms, finding awe in microscopic life. Some concentration on drawing after a long fallow period has culminated in nine Corona Babies.

Brexit 2016

January 09, 2017

"In Jan 2016, I was happy to hear from Sharon Bierer in London. She'd seen the Big Issue portraits in the New Year magazine and wrote to commission a portrait of her family."

The Big Issue

January 01, 2017

"I wanted to inject an unbeatable optimism into the paintings and pass on the message that we are Everyman."

Crisis

December 25, 2016

"His hearing was very good, better than mine in the confusion of the room. He was excellent at being still."