Meditations from Sea and Sky, Creations from the Sea, Creations from the Land, paintings by J Thomason, Jean Urquhart and Jackie True

Meditations on Sea and Sky by Janice Armstrong

For me, drawing is about observing and responding with head and heart. There is an academic discipline but there is an emotional response too and for me the drawing starts to ‘work’ when both head and heart work together. There is something liberating too about the simplicity of a pencil (and rubber!). Now it is all about light and shade, mark making and movement, and composition.

I have done a lot of walking in Shetland over the years but particularly ‘on the hill’ near my home. The hill itself is a huge, indifferent, sleeping thing and I am tiny on its back. Up there, the view is panoramic and brings not just physical but emotional perspective. For me it is what is referred to as a ‘thin space’ where indeed head descends to heart and prayer is gathered up with the wind and entrusted to the clouds.

Creations from the Land by Pauline Maddocks

Pauline says she "just dabbles in Makkin and other crafts"

She creates soft crafts especially using yarn and Shetland Fleece but also likes to try and recycle where possible and uses preloved fabric for her sheep and purses.

She loves taking inspiration from the wonderful environment here.

Pauline has been felting for many years and loves to share her skills with local folk and visitors at impromptu workshops at her home in Burravoe

Creations from the Sea by Pip's Place (Sally Sugden)

Sally's love of seaglass developed when she started to spend more time in Yell after COVID.  Finding lots of beach treasure locally, she worked on a simple range of understated jewellery which has become popular with both Shetlanders and visitors.

Washed smooth by the sea over many years, each piece of seaglass is carefully chosen, cleaned and polished to remove the patina and bring out the colour.  No pieces are shaped, they are all exaclty as they were found.

The most common seaglass colours found in Yell are white, brown, green, seafoam and blue.  Within each colour there are numerous shades which compliment the varied subtle tones of the island and sea throughout the seasons.  

Sally's seaglass pendants are with wrapped in silver plated copper wire in various designs to suit the particular shape, or drilled and fixed with a sterling silver bail or simple jump ring.  All are attached to a recycled sterling silver trace chain approx 17" long.  Other smaller pieces are matched for shape and colour (as near as possible) for earrings on sterling silver wires and hoops.  There are also some local beach pottery pendants among the items for sale.

Sally loves beachcombing and make jewellery in her spare time.  Her other days are spent working remotely at home for a London borough council.  She loves the peace and beauty of Yell and feels blessed to have found her "happy place".

Sally is often asked if her name is Pip!  In fact, Pip was a cat she owned when she started her crafting journey in 2012.  Pip is sadly gone but Sally can't bring herself to change the name of her little crafting venture which began at Pip's Place, because, as all cat owners know, the cat rules the house!

Jean Urquhart. 

After retirement, I attended the portfolio course at Shetland College and continued to complete a Fine Art (Hons) Degree at Shetland UHI.

Shetland is a great inspiration in every sense. Wonderful colour, landscape and seascape, light and dark, and the environment generally.  Janice Armstrong and Jimmy Thomason are neighbours and its a privilege to show work together with them at the ‘Old Haa’

Jackie True 

Hi  I'm Jackie True and I love trying to create things with wool.  I can knit but cannot compete with the beautiful Shetland knitters so, instead, I crochet.

I love crocheting all things and have done exhibitions of my work, classes and demonstrations of techniques.

This exhibition has taken inspiration from all things Shetland - especially the wildlife.

I love to use lots of color and hope I make people smile when they see my exhibition.