Exploring Shetland
Have you ever travelled to a place and had an instant connection to it? A feeling of coming home, of being in tune with the spirit of the country and its people.
For me, that place is Shetland.
The people are so open and friendly, continuing centuries old traditions such as peat cutting and knitting. There is a real sense of community long lost in so many other places these days. The landscape is breathtaking, you are only ever 3 miles from the sea wherever you travel on the islands. Wild flowers carpet the roadsides, meadows and hills, wildlife is all around and the geology is fascinating.
Peat cutting is a centuries old occupation and the smell of a peat fire is synonymous with the Northern Isles.
Fascinating Geology
With my interest in rocks, spending two weeks in Shetland was an amazing source of inspiration everywhere I looked. A walk along the many beaches was a slow occupation as my eye was caught by so many diverse pebbles and my patient husband was often left waiting for me to catch up whilst I collected stones and took photos.
Luckily we both have a keen interest in geology so most of our walks involved studying and documenting rock formations. My head is buzzing with ideas of how I would like to interpret all that I have seen.
Pebble embroideries
It was a timely visit as I am currently working on an embroidery study of pebbles. I took my floor standing frame with me and spent some lovely peaceful time hand stitching. It’s still a work in progress but as you can see, I am focusing on the colours and textures of rocks. I have used a variety of stitches so far including French knots, seed stitch, stem stitch, satin stitch and long and short stitch. I have an idea for some new embroidery kits which I am hoping to start formulating later this year.
The weather
The only downside to Shetland is of course the weather! Two weeks in July would be warmish you would think, but no, it was mainly cold and wet and many of the days I was wearing my winter coat with hat, gloves and scarf to keep warm. The weather is best described as wild! With the exception of perhaps three days, there was a constant wind so at times the temperature was as low as 8 degrees.
Walking along unspoilt beaches whilst being battered by the wind was exhilarating though. On the two days of sunshine the place was transformed into paradise however.
Luminous light and pure air
Despite this, the light in Shetland is incredible. Even on a cloudy day it seemed bright and when the skies cleared you could see for miles. The air is so pure the landscape is bathed in a clear light which is beautiful; ideal for artists. The unpolluted air is why so many of the rocks are covered in lichen. I have taken so many photos of these beautiful life forms as there is such a variety of them here. From pure white to bright yellow, different textures and patterns are created that I absolutely love. I can see embroidery stitches and collage ideas everywhere I look. These will definitely be featuring in my future projects.
Magnificent landscapes and sublime seascapes
As well as the geology of Shetland I have found a lot of inspiration in the landscape and seascapes. Beautiful white beaches, jagged cliffs and dramatic skies; all recipes for some incredible views.
In the coming months I have several workshops booked up with local textile groups as well as a weekly class that I will be teaching in Glasgow. These classes will be based on landscape or seascape so I now have plenty of inspiration images to incorporate into these workshops.
Whether or not I could live in Shetland full time with its wild weather, it is a place that I know I will have to revisit again and again.
I definitely left a little piece of my heart behind in Shetland and I'm already missing the slower pace of life and the peace and quiet of the beautiful islands.
