Oh yes, wetsuits are always this flattering. Here I am in all my Argyll Hope Spot glory! I’ve often called myself a free range illustrator so here’s some proof.
I had the very good fortune to be selected as an artist for the Hope Spot residency 2024. A small artists residency with a twist - it was an underwater drawing residency!
The main point of our time on the Argyll coast was to be safe in the water and to learn to observe and understand the creatures just under the surface. Then the expected legacy of this time was to take time in our creative practice to explore what we’d seen and tell the world about the incredible biodiversity in this Hope Spot.
The Hope Spot
The Argyll Coast and Islands Hope Spot is a community-led celebration of an area Scotland's world-class natural diversity, linked to Mission Blue. It is the first mainland UK Hope Spot and having it recognised is vital. Other Hope Spots include the Galapagos Islands and Australia's Great Barrier Reef! The Argyll Hope Spot stretches from Ardnamurchan (mainland Scotland's most westerly point) to Loch Sween. It includes four Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) as well as numerous Special Areas of Conservation, National Scenic Areas and National Nature Reserves. It’s an incredible area - home to the endangered Flapper Skate; a massive animal with very few places to thrive.
The Outfit
So from the top; mask and snorkel, neoprene swimming hat. Underneath I’m in a swimming costume, a rash vest over thatand the wetsuit over the top. I’ve got my trusty swimming gloves and socks - both neoprene (and I never get in the water without them unless it’s high summer) and then I’ve got my belt on - you can see it attaches on to the bright orange float you can see behind me. It’s a sort of buoyancy aid, but more than that, it keeps me visible in the water when I am head down, snorkelling.
Lastly you’ll see my homemade ‘underwater easel’; but it is actually a clipboard hanging from the belt with bulldog clips, a pencil and etching tool in an elastic, sheets of paper and even a small piece of aluminium sheet.
It took some time to get in and out of this get up - especially by the afternoon of day 1 when it was soggy each time I climbed back in!
Snorkelling
Over the three days I spent with the five other (very excited and wonderful) artists, I learned how to snorkel for the very first time and how to observe and draw while snorkelling. Now, I am not very good at underwater sketching, but I think with practice and the right materials, I could make a good go of it. Honestly, I panicked on my first snorkel session; the breathing is weird - mouth only - and it I found it very shocking having my whole face in the chilly water.
Despite being in shallow water close to the shore, it was incredible what we found. I was very taken with the classics; big blue starfish the size of dinner plates, huge, pale urchins in the deep, multitudes of anemones, strange sea squirts and of course the seaweeds.
I had a minor seaweed obsession before this, but it’s been climbing in intensity since starting to swim in the sea more these past few years. More on that here .
Next steps
It was an amazing experience, only slightly marred by breaking my front tooth off the day before going! The weather was on our side and an exhibition of work inspired by our experience looms for this little group of six; me (illustrator and artist), Tamsin (architect and artist) , Liz (jeweller), Jamie (theatre, video and sound artist), Viola (animator) and Emma (mosaic and felt artist); together we are the HOLDFAST collective.
