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Writer's pictureRoberta Mason

In the beginning: one artist's journey

Updated: Aug 18, 2021

Well this is my first blog post and I was wondering where to start...so I guess the beginning is as good a place as any.

If you know my work, you could safely assume I'm kind of obsessed with water. The actual properties of water are remarkable, and who is not mesmerised by the movement of it? For me, not all bodies of water are equal. Don't get me wrong, having grown up swimming in a land of 10,000 lakes, I love them but and the oceans...are an entirely different matter. Being on or better yet in the sea gives me a sense of exhileration, of being alive yet peaceful and present...a sense of belonging. This love of the sea has taken me many places and lead me on a myriad of adventures, all with images kept in my mind's eye - deeply embedded memories.

I dabbled in art, but it took a great leap of faith in my tutors, a willingness to be truly open and 200 words. I had to pry those 200 words from the deepest reaches of myself, a memory so special, I never wanted to share it, in case it would be tarnished, but I found just the opposite. In writing it down and sharing it with others, it grew more powerful and a stronger sense of myself developed, and with it my art practice.


Perfect Night

It was a perfect night, not even a breath of wind. The sky was clear and moonless, inky black, with only stars for light.

We stepped from the beachinto the boat almost soundlessly, with the last aboard pushing us away from the shore into a flat sea. The phut phut of the boat's motor broke the stillness of the night then stopped as the anchor was set in an unmarked location a kilometre from shore.

Small waves slapped gently against the hull of the boat as one by one, each of us slid silently into the water, warm, sinking and then weightless.

Our torches shone through the dark water like beacons, focusing on the landscape below us. We signalled to confirm our positions, then lights out and we were swallowed by the silent blackness.

We floated weightless in the darkness, the warmth of the water blurring the boundary between body and sea. A rhythmic music began composed as a fusion of our beating hearts, our breathing and the sea around us.

Slowly, as our eyes adjusted, a beautiful alternative universe unfolded around us and we were floating amongst the stars, consciously connected, at one with the universe.




Like a starry night...image credit: Swiss Diving Association

For more on this or other adventure, insights into my reseach, process and some inspirational work by others...feel free to follow...#oceaninspiration #oceanart #artandscience #contemporaryglass #artglass #glassart #emergingartist #robertamasonartglass




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