Serpentine poltesco by Claire Ogden
Oops, apologies to anyone who got this on Saturday, I accidentally posted it early :-(.
Dear Readers, I recently got a newsletter from Susan Cain, who some of you might know as the author of ‘Quiet’ and ‘Bittersweet’. Being an introvert myself, I really enjoyed Cain’s exploration of the gifts of being a more thoughtful, reflective person in a world that seems to largely value the outgoing and sociable, and ‘Bittersweet’ talks about the relationship between grief and joy, and how difficult it sometimes is to find the difference. Both books come highly recommended, but today Cain was reflecting on being older. One of the things that she said was that as she was getting older, she found herself noticing the exquisite details of things much more, and quoted Blake (one of my favourites as you know);
“…see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.”
The photo that Cain chose to illustrate her newsletter was the one below, by Claire Ogden, a British artist based in Cornwall. I thought it was stunning, and went in search of more of her work. I love that she has such a keen eye for the beauty of everyday things.
‘Blue Barnacles’ by Claire Ogden
This is a piece of corroded metal that Ogden calls ’embroidered rust’ – she’s turned it into a fabric design. Ogden is based in Newlyn where there is still a fishing industry, and so there are nets and battered boats and pulleys and all sorts of other industrial detritus. It takes a real eye to spot the beauty here. I am reminded of a photography course that I did, where the teacher entreated us to ‘see first, and take photos afterwards’.
Embroidered rust by Claire Ogden
On another trip, Ogden noticed the scuff marks on one of the boats:
“The fishing paraphernalia often provide good subjects – nets, ropes, pots, etc – and in this instance there was a small part of the blue hull that was scratched and scuffed to reveal dashes and splashes of yellow and white paint. Along with the stains of rusts and wear and tear this patch of marks was as if a painter had splattered the surface with different paints and made marks for the fun of it.”
Newlyn Fishing Boat Marks by Claire Ogden
I really love Ogden’s work – pop over to her website to see some of her other photographs and designs. She is certainly a photographer to watch.
These photographs ‘speak’ to me!
Thank you for this introduction to the evocative photography of Claire Ogden, which I hadn’t come across before, even though she is inspired by places not far from where I live. I love the way she captures the sparkling brilliance of the sea at Newlyn, while also reflecting, through the colours of boats, ropes and rust, that this is a working harbour (one of the largest ports in the country, in terms of the quantity of fish caught annually).
I always loved going to Newlyn Fish Festival on August Bank Holiday, a non-working day for the fishing community, so a rare opportunity for local residents and visitors to wander around the harbour, board fishing boats, and eat lots of freshly-cooked fish. Sadly, the festival hasn’t taken place since 2018 – because of substantial harbour refurbishment and then Covid – but there are hopes that it can be revived.
I hoped you’d see this post, Liz, I thought of you!