Letters from Shetland: September
Welcome to my very first Letters from Shetland.
Each month, I’m hoping to share a little more of life here in Shetland: places I’ve been, things that have caught my eye, what I’ve been working on and some of the stories behind my work.
For September, I’m taking you on my first trip out to Skerries, sharing a few photos from my camera roll and giving you a little look at what I’ve been working on in the studio.
Shetland Spotlight: Skerries
This summer, my cousin Dorothy and I finally made our first trip out to Skerries.
We drove from Lerwick to the ferry terminal at Vidlin and, as we’d arrived a little early, decided we had time for a wander.
It turns out we didn’t.
By the time we came back, the ferry had left without us!
After a bit of frantic waving and causing some havoc, we somehow managed to get it to come back for us and eventually made it on board for the 90-minute journey out to Skerries.
So, my first piece of advice if you’re planning a trip: book a ticket for the ferry, even if you’re only going as a foot passenger!
Thankfully, the rest of the day was a lot more peaceful.
We hadn’t planned a particular route once we got there. We just started walking and followed the coastline, which turned out to be a lovely way to explore.
The weather was fine, so we stopped for a picnic up on the cliffs, took far too many photos and enjoyed just wandering and seeing where we ended up. We spotted tirricks resting along the stony beaches and stopped to speak to a few of the locals along the way.
I also learned that Skerries is actually two main islands joined together by a peerie bridge - something I hadn't realised before we went.
We’d planned to visit the lighthouse too, but eventually discovered it was on another island that we couldn’t actually get to! That will have to wait for another day.
I think what I enjoyed most was the peace and quiet. We managed to walk both isles during the day, and there was always something to stop and look at. I particularly loved all the old croft houses, so naturally I came home with plenty of photographs of those.
Towards the end of the trip, we bumped into a friend we’d made on the ferry, who kindly gave us a lift to the old kirk.
We had a peerie look inside and, with about half an hour to spare, Dorothy and I sat down and got our knitting out.
It felt like quite a fitting end to our first day in Skerries - and thankfully the journey home was a little less eventful!
From The Gallery Wall: Bayview, Skerries
Although this was my first time actually visiting Skerries, it wasn’t the first time it had found its way into my work.
I originally painted Bayview as a commission for a family who had sadly lost a loved one. They wanted something to remember the family home by, which made it a particularly special piece to paint.
There’s a lovely bit of history in the painting too. The boat you can see in the foreground is more than 100 years old, and it’s still sitting on the shore in Skerries today.
The house has moved on to a new chapter as well - it’s now being turned into a yoga retreat!
I don’t offer commissions anymore, but after finally getting out to Skerries myself, I certainly don’t think this will be the last time the islands appear in my paintings. I came home with plenty of photographs and ideas for future pieces.
In the meantime, Bayview is available as a limited edition print.
Avril's Camera Roll
My camera roll is always a bit of a mixture, and this month is no exception.
There have been lampshades in the studio, plenty of croft houses, a staff night out and a wander through the lanes of Lerwick - along with all the other little things I seem to stop and photograph as I go.
These are a few favourites from the past few weeks.
On The Easel
It hasn’t all been painting lately.
I’ve been back working with clay and making a new batch of my peerie croft houses , ready for their return at the end of September.
They’re inspired by the traditional croft houses you see dotted around Shetland, and every one is built and glazed by hand here in my studio. It means they all turn out a little differently, which is part of what I love about making them.
There’s quite a process behind such a peerie finished piece, from building each house by hand to glazing and firing them before they're finally ready.
I know these little houses have a habit of selling out, so there’ll be a limited number of each colourway available when the new batch is released later this month.
Thank you for reading
And I think that’s about everything for my first Letters from Shetland.
I hope you enjoyed coming along to Skerries with Dorothy and me, and having a little look at what I’ve been up to lately.
I’ll be back next month with another letter and a few more stories from life here in Shetland.
Avril x