SARAH OLSON
RISE, Polstreath Beach, Mevagissey in Cornwall, UK
Photography by Matthew Facey
This August 2017, in Mevagissey, a remote fishing village in Cornwall, I created a free-standing drawing on the beach lit by the rising sun, battered by wind, waves and the rising tide. I would probably not have been inspired to get up at 4:30am for this adventure had it not been for the company of the fantastic landscape photographer, Matthew Facey. He captured the creation of this work on the beach in the early morning hours with the sun breaking the horizon. He knew the exact spot to set up so that the sun would align with my piece. I am determined to collaborate more with this heavy hitting photographer on my next trip to Mevagissey. It is just the beginning of what I hope is a series of works where I am able to directly interact with the sea.
Images by me...
Here are some shots I took before Matthew got there and while he was setting up, as well as after he left. I continued to paint and capture these images of the changing light and the transformation of the piece as the tide came in and as the wind blew the drawing over. The fleeting quality of this piece is what intrigues me. As each wave can be a masterpiece of light, shadow and color, and be gone in an instant, the ephemeral life of a drawing is somehow far less significant and never quite as beautiful as the movement of the waking waters from a dark night.
