Stripes on the shoreline - in conclusion

Stripes on the shoreline no.s 1 - 28   paper collages mounted individually on paper 15x20.5cm   ©2019Lisa Le Quelenec

When I started this project I didn't really have many preconceived ideas about where it was going to go, if anywhere at all. I was kind of 'giving myself permission' to try new things and play for a while whilst I worked on a big project that was going to require lots of brain work and technical learning. (more on that later..) The thirty minutes constraint was my 'play time' away to relax, reset and reward myself.


Seeing all the pieces laid out together I can see connections with the pebble project from last year which makes me think I am perhaps transitioning slowly but surely into a new way of working. Sometimes the process of evolving is so slow and incremental that I don't notice until I have travelled far down the path.  

Stripes from the shoreline no.8   paper collage mounted on paper 15x20.5cm   ©2019Lisa Le Quelenec

I had thought I would end up with a whole project of completely minimalist pieces after the first few days. I was very surprised that it only took seven days for me to start gravitating to recognisable imagery from more pure abstract leanings. It seemed like the sediment of ideas was starting to settle a bit and a clearer way forward was emerging at around day 8 along with the realisation that the project was becoming just about the groynes and their relation to the environment they were placed in and their defiance in the face of the elements.


When I first moved to Bournemouth the groynes seemed really odd, cumbersome and out of place. I was used to wide open sand with nothing in the way. They frustrated me somewhat as they got in the way of walking on the beach as depending on how much the sea and wind has shifted the sand they can stand quite high from the beach so you end up walking in a big zig zag up and down and not really getting too far. Now I am used to them they are part of the furniture of the beach and I don't 'see' them. I'm starting really see them again after this project and feel like I want to explore them much more and in detail.

Stripes from the shoreline no.12   paper collage mounted on paper 15x20.5cm   ©2019Lisa Le Quelenec

Although I had flirted with the idea of a moon symbol in the squares from day 6, I'm not sure I realised it at the time. By day 12 I was ready to embrace it for a while. It felt good to have some curves, just a little bit of softness with all the hard edges.

A lightening of the palette occurred at day 18 which coincided with a noticeable lengthening of the days for me. I find February dark and dismal it always seems reluctant to let Winter go and Spring to begin. I always find myself feeling impatient during this month. My energy levels were starting to increase and things feel more positive with the changing of the light. The further on in the month the warmer the palette starts to feel too - I don't think this was a conscious decision, just an indication of how influenced I am by my environment. We had the warmest day in February since records began on the 25th.

©2019LisaLeQuelenec

As a way of getting through the month it was very productive and I think I will find another project for next year using a similar strategy. I really looked forward to the part of the day where I could make the next piece. Next time though I will record and document them in batches as doing it everyday was problematic at times with a school half term and a virus that hit our household and then chicken pox arrived...even the dog was sick for a couple of days which didn't help. That was the only aspect of the project that felt pressured though ( I think due to the scale of work) - making the work felt like a natural flow and progression.

I have found the time constraint of the project to be one of the most valuable lessons. It really helped to focus the mind away from distractions some days, on others to slow down and think in more depth about the process. It is definitely an aspect that I will use going forward - especially on days that are about generating ideas and experimenting. As well, these pieces are very small scale and I think I would like to use the same process but larger so I will continue for a while along side other projects to see where that leads. A few of the pieces feel like starting points for more work, they are seeds of ideas that I would like to explore further.

All pieces are available at Folksy and reproductions and cards at Red Bubble.