Shaped by the Sea

On exhibitions, recovery, and the process of making a new book.

Two years ago, I booked a space to have a month-long exhibition together with artist Carien Borst at Talla Na Mara in Harris. We settled on the name quickly, “Shaped by the Sea”, because it left plenty of room to interpret what it means to each of us.

I've noticed a pattern in myself over the years. Booking an exhibition and working towards a theme always pushes my boundaries and makes me produce work I wouldn't otherwise make. Art is not all about wandering around waiting for flow to happen. It takes a lot of practice, purpose, questioning your abilities and pushing through barriers you didn’t realise you could.

There are times when you wonder why you put yourself through it, particularly when the unexpected happens, such as an operation five weeks before the opening, just when the last-minute panic usually sets in. But I set about being more organised ahead of time than ever before.

My painting came together just a few days before leaving for the hospital. Those days were sunny and calm, and paintings were strewn out through my porch and into the garden to dry. I have been experimenting for years, knowing what I wanted to achieve, but it hadn’t quite translated yet, and quite typically, it happened the day before I had to leave.

Art materials were sent over to Drumnadrochit, where I was to recover for a few weeks, in the hope that I would be able to continue painting a little. I soon realised that I couldn't, so they were then posted back to my house in Harris along with my clothes ….. because I am not supposed to carry more than 10 pounds for a while, and it'll be a long journey home. Instead, whilst in recovery and not lifting anything, including the dishes, I have set small pockets of time aside to order cards and prints, and to finalise the book to go alongside it.

The logistics I am dealing with this time around are more complex than ever. However, I know that having an exhibition is always more expensive, more work, and more stress than you think it will be. But always worth it in the end.

The Book

I decided early on that it would be good to accompany the exhibition with a new book, as I have been wanting to write something new for a while. I liked the idea of a simple book about the sea and how it has affected me, but I didn't yet know how to translate that. Would it be images and paintings? Words, definitely, but maybe using the concept I found in my old college notebooks, words next to images to convey feeling in both visual and written form. So that's where I started.

I sat in Beckett's coffee shop in Stornoway one day with a notepad and made myself focus. I needed an introduction. What is it about? How does the sea shape me? I let myself just write around those questions and began thinking about island trips with my boys and my mum and how it felt to be by the sea with them, the happy, precious memories. I flowed into ideas about self-awareness, about the times I have returned to the sea after years away. I realised that the act of letting my mind wander and land somewhere was a beautiful concept, and it really worked in this context. Not unlike EMDR, actually, but coming at it from a completely different angle.

Free writing is interesting because, if you let it, it allows the truth to surface honestly. It isn’t writing I would ever publish, but it lets the raw ideas begin.

I created a blank layout with words on one side and images on the other, knowing the images could follow the words

The following week, I carried on writing in Talla Na Mara cafe and The Deli. I found a poem I had already written and wondered if that should go in. Maybe as an intro piece. As I sat, I allowed my mind to wander and realised I must look crazy sitting in a busy place staring into space alone. But it seems that staring into space is what helps me access this freedom, and I think the key to creativity is to find what works for you.

That day I wrote nine poems, one after the other, and it felt like I was seeing the whole project form. I would love to share the stories behind some of them with you over the coming months. The placeholder images were later filled with the paintings from the past month, and they feel very in tune with the words in an unplanned, intuitive sort of way.

Pre-Orders

Despite losing April / May to recovery, I managed to create a layout I love, and I am also very grateful to Sandie Photos for stepping in for my weddings and to Heather Hughes for looking after the Galerie while I was away. I have gained future health in return, and will share more on that when the time feels right.

I have put together a few options for pre-ordering the book. It is printed as a small A5 booklet with 44 pages, with a smooth matt cover and natural uncoated pages that allow the colours of the paintings to breathe and the poetry to feel gentle. Somewhere between a luxury zine and a small art book. The kind of book you keep on your bedside table or carry with you to read in cafes. I have a few books like this and love the idea of lighter, smaller books. My hope is that it is the kind of book that makes you feel less alone in whatever you are carrying or helps you reflect and feel soothed and inspired by the visuals.

Pre-orders genuinely help make independent projects like this possible. Thank you in advance. Link to view and pre order

Added to my online store now, I also have a range of cards, postcards and a notebook. New canvases and paintings will be added shortly!

Thank you for reading and sending love,

Margaret xx

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Upcoming Dates

30th May 2026 - LTCH members day at The Galerie - Nature Journalling & Creativity for well-being session.

Shaped by the Sea exhibition, Talla Na Mara, Isle of Harris, throughout June 2026. You are invited to an open afternoon with tea and coffee, to meet Carien and myself 11am to 3 pm on 2nd June 2026

Long Exposure Photography Workshop - Feb 9th-15th 2027, Isle of Harris

Creative Retreat - Word, Art & Wellness, June 4th-10th 2027, Isle of Harris