Laura Maynard, an artist and surfer based on the Isle of Lewis talks about her upcoming exhibition in An Lanntair’s café bar, which explores her relationship with surf culture and the Outer Hebrides’ coastline – 11th May to 28th May. On 20th May, An Lanntair will put on its next Party at the Pictures event – a surf themed night with musician and composer CJ Mirra, and multi-award winning film maker Chris McClean. Also featuring films by Lewis based filmmakers Mark Lumsden, Colin Macleod and Jim Hope. And a DJ late into the night. Early booking recommended: Party at the Pictures presents: Chasing Zero
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I was asked to exhibit my work as part of an event called “Chasing Zero’ which is focused on celebrating surf culture in the Outer Hebrides. My childhood and adult life in Lewis have always centred around being beside, on or in the water. The coastline and surfing has allowed me to meet and become friends with an eclectic and wonderfully quirky bunch of folk and I never tire or fail to be blown away by how beautiful, wild and ever changing the sea can be.
Since leaving art school 13 years ago I have been busy bringing up my son and being a full time art teacher. This has been an amazing time but it has left little time for doing my own work, which I always wanted to get back to. I was nervous about starting my own work again and wasn’t sure where to start. I wanted to build up my confidence and this meant trying to figure out what it is that makes me want to create. Through giving myself time to experiment, make mistakes, try new materials and enjoy the process of creating again it became clear very quickly that it was ‘The sea’ and my relationship with it that made me tick. I am excited about my work when it relates to the diverse and charismatic people I have met through surfing, my childhood memories of being at the beach or just purely the fact that the colours, textures, light and beauty of the Hebridean coastline is impossible for me to ignore, hence my obsession with turquoise