My fascination with beach-combed objects stems from the fact that man-made items enter the sea at a place and time unknown. At this stage, they are often useful, in good condition and are similar to many many other such times. By the time, I retrieve them from the shoreline they are no longer of any use, they are worn and distressed by time and tide, and they are unique. It is the alteration that occurs during this unspecified time period that interests me – it raises so many unanswerable questions: When did it enter the sea, why and how? How long has it been in the sea? How far has it travelled?
One particular fascination is brushes. I find many plastic brush handles but more interesting are the bone or wooden ones. These sometimes present with bristles, whole or partly intact, but the really interesting ones no longer have bristles, just the holes where bristles once were.
I like the contrast between the worn finish and the precision of the holes. I am starting to explore this idea further, combining the found with the made; the old with the new; the perfect with the imperfect.
These three pieces combine hand made paper with found elements. I’d love your feedback!
Helen Frost Artist 
Your posts have been v quiet
Thanks for this one
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I rather lost interest due to the small number of people who saw them!
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Loved this series.
Who knew an old hairbrush could look so interesting. It reveals how much skill you have as an artist to turn these relics into a piece of beautiful art.
I also have missed your posts, but do understand how lack of viewers might influence your posting. I have also missed Alan’s B & W images as they always inspired me and made me wish I was able to get out in the country or down the bayside beaches more. Alas, my 50mm f1.4 lens has gathered dust in Alan’s absence.
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Thank you Vicki. Not sure about the skill bit but I do see the potential in things that others would ignore. Sorry to hear that you are not doing much these days and hope that this will change
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Please keep posting – your work is beautiful and inspiring. Many have been switching to Instagram, but for those of us who boycott Facebook, Insta. is not an option since FB now restricts how much you can view without an account.
(my rant for the day/week/month/eternity)
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Thanks so much – I will get back into doing it! I do use Insta and FB I must admit but am only too aware of what a time waster they both are and what do they achieve??! My husband and I avoided all use of the internet whilst in the Outer Hebrides for 3 weeks – must try harder to do so again! Best wishes
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It’s not so much the time as the tracking and data mining I object to….And now Insta. is no longer letting you look at even a restricted number of posts without signing in, so that’s that!
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Me again! I sent my last response before opening this email from you. Those brushes!! I am so jealous. There’s some cool stuff to be gleaned from our old river dump site, but nothing of this age and character. And I love how you’re incorporating them into the handmade paper. So very cool.
now you have me itching to be in the studio, not tapping away here (but I’ve still “office work” to do so maybe this afternoon).
be well, thanks for the sparks of inspiration! Eric
Eric Allen Montgomery artist/arts promoter/independent curator: *ACE (Art Craft Excellence) creative services* find *ACEcs*, including *ART@eBar* on FB https://www.facebook.com/groups/589410067880584/
47 ARMSTRONG AVE, Guelph N1E 5W9 memoryboxer@gmail.com 519-763-8428 IG @memoryboxer FB Eric Allen Montgomery – – “I make no distinction about materials. They can be gold, snakeskin, tin foil, rusty metal. *They all have beauty and I want to dance with them*.” *Robert W Ebendorf*
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Nice to hear from you Eric and sorry to annoy you with my finds again! Mostly as I said, I find plastic handles but also some long handled wooden ones covered in paint which I like. Glad you like what I’ve done with them and thanks for commenting. Hope you are keeping well over there!
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The pieces you’ve made are excellent. I love the contrast between the found objects and the handmade paper. The textures are very appealing to me. Your blog is one of my very favourites so I hope you will continue posting on WordPress.
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Thank you so much. I am always looking for ways to combine the found with the made and hand made paper seems to work. Thanks for your continuing interest – more to follow!
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I love these weathered brushes! They would make a fascinating display, just as they are x
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Yes, they’re great aren’t they!
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I might not be on your site the very day you post but I read and appreciate every one. I love your exploration, the way you combine flat and textural, the minimalist colour schemes and especially your unique eye to gauge and unify objects that are very different in nature.
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Thank you very much Claire – much appreciated! I hope you are keeping safe and sane and are able to use this strange time in a productive way.
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Being stuck in the house observing social distancing and isolation has some advantages! It’s giving me time to work in my sketchbook, hopefully creating some resources to evolve into future works.
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