14th April 2012
Tin shapes Man - Man shapes Tin
The Tinner's Coast
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Here I am on a two week artists residency in the last house before the sea on Cape Cornwall, West Penwith. Perched at the edge of the Atlantic, Cape Cornwall was once believed to be the furthest westerly point in Britain, hence the name Cape. I am here to work within the area where my Cornish tin comes from - to develop ideas based on this landscape, environment, mining and heritage.
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| Kerensa wave and shore. Gold, silver and Cornish tin. |
To date my Kerensa collection has been inspired by the changing natural environment found here, the contrasts, textures and movement of the coast and sea. I want to explore these ideas further and have more understanding on how the rich mineral source deep within the rock has shaped man and vice versa. My aim is to use this to create pieces with an identity and meaning that is directly connected to the place where their raw material comes from.
I will keep my work within the St Just area and coast line between Gribba point and Pendeen Watch - much of which I can cover by foot and is directly surrounding the Cape. The heart of this area is the source of my Cornish tin.
Royal Cornwall Museum
On the way down to the Tinner's Coast, I take a slight detour to spend some time in the royal Cornwall Museum, Truro - particularly to see their amazing Cornish mineral collection. Hundreds of beautiful specimens, many from here in the the St Just area and St Agnes (where I had my first introduction to the riches of minerals and rocks that can be found as a child whilst scrambling the cliffs and rocks on the beaches). One of my favourites is a fantastic example of rare Botallakite, a beautiful green / blue copper mineral only found in the Botallak area.
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