Artist Spotlight: Anchored in East
In 2013, after many years of working in wigs and make-up for the Royal Opera House and the Royal Shakespeare Company, Mel made the move south to Hastings Old Town. She had felt intensely drawn to the area and fell in love with this part of Sussex. Mel had successfully shown acrylic landscapes and textile work in London, both in open studios and private exhibits and she returned to the visual arts when the pandemic hit and theatre dissolved temporarily.
Anchored.
Watercolour and pencil, 20 x 20 cm.
After starting to explore her family history online, she discovered that three generations of (previously unknown) direct relatives had lived here in the 19th century, working as coastguards in Ecclesbourne Glen and occupying one of eight Martello towers situated on the beach at Pett Level in the 1850s.
“Suddenly it all made sense to me – the strong impulse to paint the sea and landscapes, focusing mostly on the Pett Level marshes and areas surrounding Rye. I’d like to believe that we can hold genetic memories of place, because I finally feel truly at home here.”
This Coastal Currents exhibition features Pett Level, Winchelsea and Ecclesbourne Glen, where these members of the Coastal Blockade, later to become the Coastguards, spent an unusual and almost reclusive life. “It seems that they were not encouraged to associate with the wider communities around them.
“This discovery has informed my life and creativity in ways I could never have imagined and the existence of my ancestors here has truly ‘anchored’ me in place. The future feels exciting – there are still many gaps to fill in this story, but I have a feeling more will reveal itself!”
Anchored is a multi-media response to these discoveries, as she wanted to explore new processes in addition to her painting.
“I’m trying to blend the knowledge I have about my family with the strong emotions these landscapes bring out in me. I’m keen to use new forms, so I’m incorporating sound for the first time and also experimenting with cyanotypes.”
Mel’s mixed media paintings will be on show and for sale.
“She also has plans to develop the use of natural sounds in future installations on the same theme and perhaps a short film. “I think this amazing discovery will be the inspiration for my work for some time to come.”
‘Anchored’ is at Winchelsea New Hall, as part of Coastal Currents 2024, on 31 August and 1 September
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