 The journey of Silver Darlings began not as a defined concept, but as a natural evolution from my earlier work, woodcuts created in response to the “Grind” in the Faroe Islands. These initial blocks held emotional weight:
Accidental Beauty: Ink, Paper, and Water While printing one of the wood blocks, I accidentally misaligned the paper. When I repositioned it, the overlap produced a double image that immediately reminded me of moving water and Langmuir Cells. Rather than discard it, I leaned into the accident. I experimented with sea-inspired colours: printing in blue, then green, and later swapping their order to better capture the feeling of the ocean. I eventually carved a dedicated herring wood block, along with a large block that used the wood grain to mimic moving water. One day, a droplet of water fell from my bracelet onto a print. I watched as the ink dispersed outward, and it gave me an idea: I soaked rice paper under running water, then pressed it onto the inked block. The wet areas blurred, while the dry areas stayed crisp, each print unique. These became the base of the sail. The Spark: A Saree, a Sail, and an idea Scrolling through a reel, I saw saree printers flicking fabric in preparation to handprint. It looked like a boat sail catching wind, and suddenly I thought: what if I printed on a real sail? It tied perfectly into the story of the Silver Darlings. Through a generous donation, I received a racing yacht sail. Some of the smaller prints worked well through the press, but the sail’s structure, its ropes and grommets, meant the larger sections needed to be hand-printed. Screen printing was suggested, but that opened new challenges. Colours that looked bold in the tub appeared too pale on fabric. The process was physically demanding, draining more "pixie dust" than I had. As the exhibition deadline loomed, I made the difficult but necessary choice to recreate the sail in paper, using the actual sail as a template. Rice Paper, Shetland Lace, and Breaking Points Inspired by my gran’s Shetland lace and the delicacy of rice paper, I began cutting into the blank areas of the prints. I was utterly exhausted, creatively stuck and aimlessly working, so I threw all the scraps into a pile on the sofa. But when I returned, I saw something new in the chaos. That mess became the blueprint, and I began building the paper sail, cut by cut, print by print. Disney Magic and Deep-Sea Colours A long-time admirer of Disney’s visual storytelling, I borrowed their trick of using gradients, from dark to light, to create a sense of depth and height. I used this to mimic a journey from the deep sea to the ocean surface, blending tones inspired by the Atlantic. I even mixed my own black ink to ensure it faded just the right way. Reflection Silver Darlings marks a turning point in my practice. It pushed me toward a more abstract approach and changed how I think about materials, accidents, and storytelling through process. More than an artwork, it's a prototype, a first step toward a future project that’s slowly taking shape. Top of Form Bottom of Form
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May 16, 2025
By Skorie Art. The ocean has always been my muse—its movements, moods, and textures flow through my work like a tide I can’t resist. This current body of paintings is my offering to the sea: an exploration of its essence through acrylic paint, motion, and unconventional methods. The Ocean as Muse There’s something deeply personal about the ocean’s shifting temperament. Calm one moment, chaotic the next—this mirrors the act of painting itself. I try to capture that raw duality using acrylics, manipulating their fluidity to reflect the ocean’s mercurial nature. Everyday Alchemy To challenge the traditional boundaries of acrylic paint, I’ve begun experimenting with materials like fairy liquid and salt. These household items have a transformative effect: salt disrupts the paint’s surface tension, creating crystalline textures, while soap introduces soft, bubbling chaos. It’s a kind of alchemy, turning everyday substances into unexpected textures. These materials invite spontaneity into the process, and with that, a sense of letting go. Controlled Chaos Much of my recent process involves actions that border on performance: blowing bubbles, dancing in paint, throwing pigment across canvases. It’s wild, sometimes frustrating, often exhilarating. If you’ve never tried painting to your favourite playlist, really moving with the music, I highly recommend it. Let the brush go, splash, spin, spill, embrace the chaos. A Constant Question: Impact While experimenting with these materials it has opened up new creative pathways, I’m also deeply aware of the environmental impact of my practice. This tension between creation and consequence is something I carry with me through each piece. I don’t have all the answers, but I believe in asking the question, again and again. So, here it is, I give you sea. A messy, shifting, shimmering love letter to the ocean. I hope you find something in it that stirs your own currents.  In the gap between Christmas and New Year my husband and I took some time out in London to see some exhibitions. This photo was taken whist walking the London coastal path from the Tate back to the tube. This is a view that I love for many reasons, one of which is Mary Poppins and for me, the moodiness of the night sky makes the photo, reminding me of the death eaters arrival, in the Half-Blood Prince.
Our accommodation base was in Marylebone, not far from the Wallace Collection and a Banksy, Another World Is Possible (this can be found on the wall above the platforms at Edgeware Rd tube station). It is right by a very busy road, making it difficult to get a clear picture without being run over, this was a delight to see in person. The Wallace collection has never been a place that has ever been high on my list of must sees. However as we were late arriving due to rail issues it was the closet thing to us that was open. I was pleasantly surprised by how graceful and elegant the mansion was. There is a warm feel to the home and an air of magic on a dark wet, winters evening. the red room as well as the green room were my favourites with their opulent wall papers, furnishings, and gold trimmings. Next day saw us travel across town to the Excel for the first exhibition of the day, Disney's 100. As some one who has grown up on and adores Disney this was a must see and I happily entered the Disney bubble. It was some what disorganised at the start, where everyone was crammed into a narrow corridor trying to see and read exhibits before it opened up in to a larger open space, this first section was quite stressful as you try to keep personal space. Highlights for me were seeing original story boards, scripts, illustrations, Micky and Minnie Mouse, Dick Van Dyke's carousel horse, Winnie the Pooh, and Pete's Dragon. Afterwards we headed back into town to get food from a great little noodle shop opposite Leicester Square tube station. you will get a large bowl of noodle soup that will more than set you up for the day, I would highly recommend the dumplings as well. We then moved over to the Tate to see the Philip Guston exhibition, I had studied some of his work when studying my BA Fine Art and was eager to see his work in the flesh, it did not disappoint. His paintings were inspiring, in his use of large, loose, and expressive brush strokes. This is something that have been doing and enjoying as I paint Power, it brings an element of fun to my work, especially when I have the right play list playing. As I walked around the exhibition and read the information about Philip Guston and his work I began to gain a better understanding of and appreciation for his paintings. I always find being in the Tate a bit like being in Ikea, you lose all sense of the outside world and all time. It was then refreshing to step back outside into the nights air and take in the beauty of Saint Paul's and the financial district twinkling like fairy lights in the nights sky, as we walked down the London Coastal Path to the BFI South Bank and the Red Shoes exhibition. Although this was a small exhibition it was a delightful, a show of props, costumes, and letters in homage to a classic based on the Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tale. This was my first visit the Barbican and wont be my last! It offers a sanctuary from the busy London Streets. You can take time out and chill in a wee booth, watching archived films and documentaries, giving a chance for weary, painful bodies to recover. The bar area has a chilled buzz about it, where you can enjoy a drink and play games. Finishing the day off at the National Portrait Gallery to see the latest Portrait Artist of the Year winner, Wendy Barratt's, Dr Jane Goodall painting. To see it in the flesh, you got to actually see it's delicateness and the sense of mischief in the face looking down on you. this is something that is lost on the TV screen , and I would highly recommend that it is viewed in person if you ever get the opportunity. Another portrait worth viewing was Malala Yousafzai, by Shirin Neshat,2018. A calming beauty radiates out at you as you view this portrait. Part of the MA requires us to provide a second year artist with two tutorials, in order to provide advice and support. it is built as a very short insight to the world of teaching.
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