Jo Atherton - photo taken at Waddesdon
Last October I had the pleasure to meet Jo Atherton at Sally Evans' Makers event at Waddesdon. Jo's work caught my eye not only because of the intense colour - but also because of the unusual material that she was working with. Jo weaves with flotsam that has been washed up on the beach. The colours of her 'flotsam stash' were a real draw to a mixed media magpie like me - I've never seen a neon pink fishing line on my beach walks before!
Jo kindly gave me a little bag of 'flotsam treasure' to take home and incorporate into my next boat pictures (which I did) and I in turn promised to return the kindness with a 'flotsam exchange' from my stash.
This weekend I got the opportunity to deliver a jar of flotsam (from Cephalonia) to Jo in person as she is holding her first solo exhibition at the Space2 Gallery at Watford Museum.
Seeing Jo's work displayed in this bright sun lit room was fantastic. It was also very thought provoking that so much 'stuff' is being washed up along not just our coast line - but other countries too all of the time. It made me think of our oceans and the random plastic pieces that are floating about and not degrading . . .
Many of Jo's works were composed by colour and others had quirky content such as random doll parts that had been found washed up. 'Goodies and Baddies' is made up of plastic toys - you can decide which are the goodies and which are the baddies!
My favourite, if I was pushed to chose was 'Plenty More Fish in the Sea'. This includes lots of lobster pot tags that were found in Cornwall washed over from Newfoundland, Maine and Rhode Island! Each tag can be traced back to an individual fisherman - and has made a true transatlantic journey.
Flotsam runs at Watford Museum until the 28 June and is well worth a visit: http://space2.watfordmuseum.org.uk/index.html
You can find more details about Jo's innovative work on her website:
http://flotsamweaving.com/author/joannaatherton/
Like me, I bet your walks on the beach won't be quite the same after viewing these works . . .
The pictures below were taken with Jo's permission:
Jo kindly gave me a little bag of 'flotsam treasure' to take home and incorporate into my next boat pictures (which I did) and I in turn promised to return the kindness with a 'flotsam exchange' from my stash.
This weekend I got the opportunity to deliver a jar of flotsam (from Cephalonia) to Jo in person as she is holding her first solo exhibition at the Space2 Gallery at Watford Museum.
Seeing Jo's work displayed in this bright sun lit room was fantastic. It was also very thought provoking that so much 'stuff' is being washed up along not just our coast line - but other countries too all of the time. It made me think of our oceans and the random plastic pieces that are floating about and not degrading . . .
Many of Jo's works were composed by colour and others had quirky content such as random doll parts that had been found washed up. 'Goodies and Baddies' is made up of plastic toys - you can decide which are the goodies and which are the baddies!
My favourite, if I was pushed to chose was 'Plenty More Fish in the Sea'. This includes lots of lobster pot tags that were found in Cornwall washed over from Newfoundland, Maine and Rhode Island! Each tag can be traced back to an individual fisherman - and has made a true transatlantic journey.
Flotsam runs at Watford Museum until the 28 June and is well worth a visit: http://space2.watfordmuseum.org.uk/index.html
You can find more details about Jo's innovative work on her website:
http://flotsamweaving.com/author/joannaatherton/
Like me, I bet your walks on the beach won't be quite the same after viewing these works . . .
The pictures below were taken with Jo's permission:
Jo (centre) explaining her work to one of the Museum staff
One of the medium sized 'colour specific' weavings - all of the component parts were found washed on on beaches in Cornwall.
Jo (left) reflected in her weaving picture!
Explanatory text for my favourite work in the show
Detail shot from 'Plenty More Fish in Sea'
Clever use of driftwood within this weaving - makes you think doesn't it?
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