The lure of seaglass
A big part of my artwork relies on the seaglass I find around our shores. I collect it from the coastline of Shetland and Orkney, searching all over the isles for pieces that might become useful.
I find it extremely relaxing, and looking online at sites like Pinterest and Instagram, it’s clear that using sea glass in art and creatively is becoming a very popular hobby. Across the world there are dozens of sea glass artists, there are various forums dedicated to the hobby online and lots of information to be had on the best places to go to find sea glass, wherever you are located.
I’ve spoken about my love of beachcombing before - growing up on an island and in close proximity to the sea, wandering beaches is something I’ve enjoyed all of my life, and collecting seaglass is an addictive habit!
Shetland has several jewellery designers who use sea glass in their work, my favourite being Esme Wilcock, followed by Hjarta Wild (Jeanette Novak) and Red Houss (Mike Finnie).
The variety of sea glass to be found is astounding - different colours, shapes, sizes: each piece is unique, and provides a rich source of material for creatives. It is a beautiful example of human waste.
Do you enjoy looking for sea glass? What’s the best piece you’ve found?
