Beachcombing in Shetland – inspiration for artists

A common myth about island communities is that they are somehow remote or isolated, that the sea is a barrier between them and the rest of the world. But throughout Shetland’s history, the sea is a connection, bringing people from around the world to these shores.

The things we find on our beaches are evidence of these relationships. Island residents have always combed the shoreline, looking for useful items that have been washed ashore. This tradition continues today, as many local artists use treasures they have collected as part of their craft.

I walked with Esmé Wilcock along the beach, our feet tracing the line of seaweed left by the retreating tide. There was little wind and the sun cast diffuse light through a thin layer of cloud, highlighting the shapes and patterns of the surrounding stones in gold. Every few steps she stopped to pick something up, showing me pieces of pottery or seaglass before placing them into her collecting bag.

Esmé has been coming to this beach her whole life. She explained that it is a place steeped in Shetland history, where boats and merchants came with the fishing trade but it is also a place that is part of her own history, somewhere she has visited since she was a child and a place she brought her own children.

It is her love for this beach, and Shetland’s incredible coastline, that inspires her work. "I have got a little bag of gems here," she says, reaching into her bag to retrieve a piece of pottery, its edges washed smooth by the sea.

"Each piece has a story. Somebody has eaten their dinner off this. I will use this, set it in silver, and it’s story will continue, and that is what I love most." She compared this to mass produced items, that people may keep for a short while then throw away.

Back in Esmé's workshop she showed me a delicate silver starfish. She explained how once while out fishing with her dad they found a dead starfish, beautiful and in perfect condition.

At the time she had recently begun her silversmith craft and her dad challenged her to try and cast it in silver. With some trial and error she was successful and years later, the shape of this tiny creature continues its journey, as pieces of jewellery, connecting people around the world to this Shetland beach.

I visited Sarah Kay on a stormy morning. As dark clouds swept over a salt scoured winter landscape, it felt as though the world was composed entirely of shades of brown and grey.

Stepping into her workshop was to suddenly be reminded of all the colours of Shetland. Paintings lined the walls, with blues and golds of underwater scenes, shimmering silver and purple aurora danced against dark skies, green hills and blue sky provided a backdrop to colourful sea-pottery filled laundry lines.

There were displays of smaller items. Jewellery and buttons, each containing little pieces of the Shetland shore, shells, sand and seaweed.

Sarah’s inspiration comes from the islands' landscapes and history. Her first love was finding and collecting shells from the ebb, noticing the colours and patterns in sea urchins, searching for lucky 'groatie buckies' or vibrant yellow whelks.

She described how despite having always lived here , she is still discovering things. She recently began taking her coastal exploration further by snorkelling. Showing me videos and photographs from underwater, she pointed out the patterns of light, colours of seaweed and the species she has encountered.

Laughing she said she should really focus on making just one type of art, but there is so much here to inspire her that she always wants to try new things. Experimenting with materials and techniques to convey the range of experiences and emotions of being in Shetland.

She said that after a storm she will often go to the beach to collect useful items as so many have done throughout history. This could be shells for jewellery, seaweed to fertilise her garden or images and ideas, new ways to represent the islands through her art.

I met Terri at Bain's Beach in Lerwick, the place that started her love of sea glass craft. The still water reflected the colours of sunset and there was snow on the Bressay hills, a perfect day for a swim.

It seemed we weren’t the only ones who thought so as several swimmers were leaving as we arrived and more went in after us. Bain's is known as a place for finding treasure.

For centuries boats used the quiet waters of Bressay Sound to anchor, and the sea here is filled with their ballast, fragments of objects originating from distant places. It is also said that throughout history, Lerwick residents would throw their broken glasses and plates into the sea, and that this explains the abundance of ocean smoothed glass and pottery.

Terri described sea glass hunting as "a lovely obsession" that she discovered when she began sea swimming. Noticing the colours and shapes of the pieces washed up on the beach she started picking them up and bringing them home.

"When I find them I start to think, what can I make from this? I love that they have been something and they can become something else, that is really special."

She described the joy of sharing images of her finds and the art she makes with them with people all over the world as part of online groups dedicated to this craft.

The ancient skills of beachcombing, knowing the places to look and identifying items with potential and transforming them into something of value, continues to be a vibrant part of island life.

The artists I met described the joy of continuing these traditions, of spending time at the beach, learning more about the history and ecology of their home. The unique beauty of their work comes from their individuality and connection to place.

In their homes and workshops are little pieces of treasure, each with a story, waiting to begin the next step of their journey.

Watch our film about Shetland's thriving and diverse arts and crafts scene.