My name is Trisha
From my Westray studio in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, I explore drawing and painting, inspired by my surroundings. Through trial and error, I’m formulating paints from rocks and shells. Seeking to establish a profound connection between art and the environment, and imbue each piece with the essence of the land..
What INspires me
Untamed landscapes, where the earth breathes and the skies stretch wide. My art is a vessel for a symphony of elements: water, stone, plants, life.
water and stone
Around the land, the sea weaves its tale and kisses the island shores, leaving brine on the ancient rocks. The stone guards the land - stoic, time-carved, age-worn, laden with millennia's whispers. Waiting for my paintbrush to continue the story.
plants and more
Our quiet companions, promising renewal. Green alchemists, converting sunlight into growth and oxygen. And lichen, an enigmatic organism, adorning the stones with miniature gardens where magic and science intertwine.
Life
In the ancient signs across Orkney, we find our own heartbeat. A connection with those who walked before, leaving their mark on this windswept canvas. Woven into the landscape as man fished the chilly waters and tended to the crops and animals.
MAKING PAINT
The concept of sourcing local materials to create paint truly resonates with me. My island home is a blend of seascapes, rocks, cliffs, windswept sandy beaches and farmland. The bedrock is primarily flagstone, offering a spectrum of colours from subtle greys and greens, to pinks, purples and black. Oyster shell, a byproduct of the oyster beds, are a treasure trove. Despite the oysters simple life cycle, their shells are complex. In life they clean the oceans, and are a food source for other animals. Crushed oyster shell has been used for centuries in Japan to produce 'Gofun', a white pigment used in painting.
What defines me
passion
Its not just about rendering a subject or place with charcoal or paint, its about weaving the essence of the place onto the canvas itself. My art is a tapestry of my surroundings. Each brushstroke a portal to the place it represents.
devotion
In the sanctuary of my studio, I dance with colours, mixing and blending, and trying to capture the essence of the scene I’m portraying. Its the joy of creating, the grinding of pigments, the splatter of paint on the floor, on my apron. The agony and ecstasy of the painting growing beneath my brush.
accomplishment
Exhibitions have included South Hams Arts Trail September 2022, Devon, SWAF; Delamore Art Exhibition May 2018 Dartmoor, Devon; Potchefstrom Aardklop Art Exhibition South Africa. Publications: Devon Life September 2022
Oil painting
Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments with a medium of drying oil as the binder. Commonly used drying oils include linseed oil, poppy seed oil, walnut oil, and safflower oil. The choice of oil imparts a range of properties to the oil paint, such as the amount of yellowing or drying time.
About my studio
A previous Japanese owner of my house, had a custom-made wooden ‘hut’ built in the garden to use as a music room. I shall be ever grateful to her for creating a private, serene space which has become my art studio.
watercolour
Watercolours are made up of finely ground pigment suspended in a binder made of gum Arabic, distilled water, and other additives to preserve and stabilise the paint.
A little something about me
I grew up barefoot on a farm in rural Zimbabwe until politics caused a sudden change of residence in 2000. For the following two decades Africa’s wild and open spaces gave way to fresh parallels on Dartmoor in the South Wt of England. In July 2023, guided by an adventurous spirit, I explored the Orkney Islands off the north coast of Scotland, with my husband. A spontaneous decision on the last day of our exploration, to purchase a house and studio on the tiny island of Westray, led to another life altering experience. And experimenting with paint …
Early days in Zimbabwe
Born in Rhodesia which became Zimbabwe in 1980. Brought up during the bush war on a tobacco farm; went to boarding school, learnt how to shoot a gun, enjoy all night parties, draw and paint.
Durban College of Art
Studied for three years in Fine Art and Interior Design at the Durban College of Art. Graduated and worked for Barclays Bank. Got married and had two 'smarter than me' children. Started teaching art classes from the garage, and painted large canvases to exhibit at various venues around South Africa. Sold a few paintings.
Lake Kariba
Moved to Lake Kariba on the northern border of Zimbabwe/Zambia. Took our household goods, an old Landrover and homeschooled the offspring for a while until they outsmarted the teacher. Started a safari business, travelled frequently in the wilderness, had a lot of fun. Did very little art but took loads of photographs.
England
Moved abruptly to England and spent 23 years working, making great friends, walking, cycling on Dartmoor and in the South Hams. Did life drawing classes, sketched a lot and dabbled in watercolours, oils, acrylic, pastels, pencil, gel printings. Exhibited at Delamore Art Exhibition and took part in the South Hams Arts Trail. Sold some paintings.
Orkney Islands
Explored the Orkney Islands and bought a house with a studio on the last day. Moved to the tiny island of Westray and started painting and drawing everyday! This 70 island archipelago in the sub-Artic has big skies, big seas and I have big ideas for experimenting with hand made paint.
To be continued ...
Learning how to crush stone and oyster shell, and make paint.
Acrylic painting
Acrylic paint is a fast-drying paint made of pigment suspended in acrylic polymer emulsion and plasticizers, silico oils defoamers, stabilizers, metal soaps. Acrylic paints are water-soluble, but become water resistant when dry
Feel free to say hi!
- Allangarth, Pierowall, Westray, Orkney, Scotland, KW17 2DH
- trishnethberry@gmail.com
- +44 (0)7796863513
Orkney’s north isle of Westray is a relatively simple connection by light aircraft or ferry from mainland Orkney.
Visitors are always welcome…
The beginning of the Rainbow
An image reflected in a mirror, a rainbow in the sky, and a painted scene
Make their impressions upon the mind, but in essence are other than what they seem
Look deeply at the world, and see an illusion a magician’s dream.
"Song of the immaculate path" - the 7th dalai lama