I had brought some papers with me and decided next that I would create a series of collages using, for the most part, genuinely “found” papers.  So often the term “found” is used to describe items which are actually “bought” from second hand shops, car boot sales, online auctions etc.  I try to work, as exclusively as possible, with items that I have found along the Chichester Harbour coastline, adding to them when necessary but always using them as the starting point for my work.  The papers used in the pieces below are:

disposable plate; take away coffee cup; take away sandwich wrapper; take away cookie bag; sandpaper; cider cardboard packaging; miscellaneous plastic; paper from an oil filter; and, most importantly, a tide table.

Disposable food service products made from paper, paperboard, and corrugated fibreboard, including cups, plates, bowls, napkins, take away bags, trays, egg cartons, doilies and tray liners, can also include or be coated with plastic to improve wet strength or grease resistance.

So, my collage collection includes hidden plastic and the title “Turning the Tide” refers not only to the use of a local tide table in the work, but also to the fact that I hope that we are now turning the tide in the fight against plastics and other rubbish in our seas.  This is and will remain the core inspiration behind the work that I produce.

Collins Dictionary – “Turn the tide” – to change the general course of events.