Curlew Cottage Design

A few days at the North Antrim coast. Got soaked to the skin on a long walk but only remember the sunny bits…
Sent out a newsletter yesterday summing up my sailing trip during the summer, exploring the West of Scotland (in the wind & rain but with breathtaking scenery). If you’d like to join my mailing list (I’d love it if you did) go to my bio and click on Linktree.
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Photos taken with my iPhone SE
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No puffins on this sailing trip but plenty of other colourful things to sketch
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This is as far north as we got this time

I wanted to share some of the watery sights on our sailing trip up the west coast of Scotland over the past three weeks. I haven’t got the words to describe the beauty of the mountain landscape, and my photographs (taken with an iPhone SE) don’t do it justice.
I hope I give you a flavour of it.
1. View from the Isle of Ornsay
2. Rubha nan Gall lighthouse on Mull
3. An Tovar Gallery, Mull
4. Sailing up Loch Torridon
5. Loch Shieldaig
6. Plockton - local boats racing
7. Mallaig - Blue Clipper & fishing boats
8. Tobermory
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Artist Afloat: this is busy Kyle of Lochalsh - I had some time to sit and sketch while Mark fixed our engine. This is where the Isle of Skye joins the mainland with a bridge, and in the background you can see campervans driving over it. Look out for the helicopter carrying a large red bucket.
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Artist Afloat: This is our sailing route from Strangford Lough to Mallaig, 200 miles. Wildlife highlights have been porpoises, gannets, seals, kittiwakes, razorbills, guillemots, terns…
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Artist afloat: Sailing North to Mallaig on the West coast of Scotland. Weather fairly wet. No chance to sketch properly yet but recording wildlife sightings. A welcome stop at beautiful Tobermory.

Orcas have been seen near Ardnamurchan heading possibly towards Coll. We must’ve missed them by a mile or two.
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New ‘Puffin Island’ tea towel, inspired by numerous visits to a remote island where I get to watch these little birds up close - my happy place!

This design was originally a linocut print.

Tea towel now available in my shop
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My new original linocut print ‘Tidal Creek’ is now in my shop. Inspired by a coastal landscape scene this is a limited edition of 22.
To go to my website shop go to my bio and click on Linktree
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Sneak peak at my latest design ‘Tidal Creek’ inspired by a view I love. Light reflected on the curve of a river at low tide, glossy mudflats with Curlew footprints. Yellow ochre fields of grass and a blue haze of a hill.
In my shop soon.
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‘Saltmarsh’ is now in my shop! This print was inspired by the landscape of Achill Island in County Mayo. Hand carved and printed using a small press in my garden studio.
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I have really enjoyed working on this new linocut called ‘Saltmarsh’. It’s based on landscapes I’ve loved on Achill Island in County Mayo. I was attracted to the light reflected in the water and the patterns it made.

I’ll be bringing these with me this Saturday 1st June to a gorgeous summer market at Cultra Manor. It’s organised by . It’s a ticketed event so go to their website to find out more and buy tickets.

Cultra Manor is set in the picturesque grounds of . There will be 50 small businesses exhibiting including plenty of food stalls/vans. 10am-4pm.
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Detail of ‘Saltmarsh’ - a new linocut I have been working on. Really enjoying printing again…
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Very excited to be taking part in this beautiful summer market on 1st June at Cultra Manor set in the picturesque grounds of the Ulster Folk Museum.

Organised by this will be a specially curated, atmospheric experience and is a ticketed event.

There will be 50 small businesses, including artisan stalls, food trucks/ coffee trucks including Arcade pizza & Retro Grilled Cheese, Mallow makers. Garden games weather permitting and live music throughout the day.

To purchase tickets go to www.cohenandco.co.uk or to their instagram page. 11.00 - 4.00pm £10. Children under 15 free.

Look forward to seeing you there!
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Today is World Curlew Day and ALL of the proceeds (£25) from each sale of this print goes to the charity Curlew Action founded by Mary Colwell who are trying to save the Curlew from extinction. This offer runs until the end of April.
Yesterday I went down to the shore to film some footage of curlews and there were none. Why? because this date is when they start to lay their eggs.
They don’t breed on the shore, instead they fly inland to wild grassy places, to the same place every year.
As you probably know, because of increased predation and other reasons, survival of chicks in the wild is virtually nil and this bird is on the brink of extinction. In Northern Ireland the rspb have had success in protecting nests and chicks have been fledging.
I am hoping that the eerie silence on the shore where I always always hear the wonderful, haunting call of the Curlew is because they are safely nesting somewhere.
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I found Mammals on BBC1 (Sunday 14th April) a difficult watch, in fact I had to look away. It showed orca whales kidnapping baby humpback whales in north-west Australia.

One of the most intelligent animals on earth, they work as a team to achieve this, then take what they want of the calf (sometimes only the tongue) leaving the rest for the sharks. They would take up to five a day.

The photography was incredible and the film crew were shocked by what they discovered.

This is a linocut print I did a few years ago of a minke whale with its calf. Spotting one when we’re sailing is always a highlight of the trip. There are two prints remaining in my shop - click here:
https://www.curlewcottagedesign.co.uk/product/minke-whale-linocut-print/


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‘Puffin with Sandeels’ is now in my shop. This colourful and I think characterful print is a limited edition of 20.

Sandeels make up a large part of a puffin’s diet as well as that of many other seabirds, porpoises, Minke whales, dolphins and seals. Recently there’s been a ban of the commercial fishing of these small fish in British waters of the North Sea. This is what inspired me to make this print.

There’s still work to do to extend the ban around the whole island of Ireland however. If you’re interested in signing a petition go to these sites:
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Visited a beautiful exhibition today on the shores of Strangford Lough. 'Gathering' is the work of seven artists including:
Sara Brown, Cecilia Stephens, Catherine Thompson, Anne Anderson, Sally Houston, Kate Rebbeck and Owen Crawford.

Location: Bishop Mills, 9 Abbacy Road, Portaferry BT22 1HH
Opening: 11am - 4pm, Saturday 30th March - Sunday 7th April

Sarabrownartist Strangford and Lecale AONB

March Meet the Maker - ‘Call to Action’
* GIVEAWAY * - sign up to my mailing list and you will be entered in a draw to win this pile of goodies worth £56!

Included in the prize:
* Sailing Sketchbook Zine
* Coastal Card Collection
* Curlew Tea Towel
* Curlew, Seal & Garden Notecard Pack
* Puffin Notecard Pack

To sign up click on this link:
https://www.curlewcottagedesign.co.uk/sign-up/
The winner will be chosen by me randomly on Good Friday 29th March.
Just to reassure you, I write a newsletter only about once a month so you won’t be inundated. It’s a great way for me to keep in touch with behind the scenes news and special offers.
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March Meet the Maker - ‘Positives’ is the theme. These verified customer reviews from my Etsy shop certainly make me feel positive. It’s great they like my designs but it also shows just how much people appreciate a good quality weight of card.
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March Meet the Maker - ‘Details’
A detail of the linocut I am working on…
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March Meet the Maker - Today’s theme is Gift Ideas. My linocuts are bought for people who love the sea, the coast and its wildlife. They may have seaside holiday memories or may have sailed round the world (true story).
‘Lobster’ is a 5 colour print, really rich in blues. It would work well in a kitchen or in a seaside cottage.
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March Meet the Maker - ‘Process’
One of the parts of the Linocut process I enjoy are the colour separations. I love how abstract they look.
Gradually the layers of colour are built up, each one taking days to dry.
This print is called Oystercatcher on Rock and a few are still available in my shop.
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March Meet the Maker- ‘Challenges’
Like many small business owners I work from a studio in the garden and a major challenge is keeping it warm enough in the winter months. I store my stock in it so it has to stay above a certain temperature.
The ground is so saturated at the moment that to make my way across the grass involves walking across a plank over a flooded bit. But I shouldn’t complain, I’m very lucky to have this space.
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Photo of Gibbs Island: William Browne
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March Meet the Maker - Today’s prompt is
‘Collection’ and I’m going to talk about a best selling print of mine called Ebbing Tide.
This is the first landscape linocut I have attempted and I like it because of the colours, the simplicity and the subject matter - I love mudflats.
It is an edition of 21 and been very popular, bought sometimes as a gift. Customers have said it evokes a happy memory in a similar landscape.
It is now sold out and I’ve been repeatedly promising to create a series of landscapes on a similar theme. Here’s hoping!
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March Meet the Maker - Today’s theme is Signature Style. I have two styles. My linocuts are quite graphic, paired back, often in shades of blue, usually focussing on birds and other wildlife.
I’m also known locally for my detailed illustrated maps which are also full of wildlife.
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Photo of me: .boyd.photography

March Meet the Maker - Today’s theme is Focus & Priorities, which for me is packaging up orders of cards, prints and notecards.
Photography:
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March Meet the Maker - Today’s theme is My Brand
When we moved to this house all those years ago we chose the name Curlew Cottage because it had a nice ring to it, but living by the coast I have become fascinated by this bird that I see on every walk, and I’ve come to care about it. I named my business after it.

My designs are inspired by the coast, a theme that runs deep. When I was growing up my happiest memories were our summer holidays spent in cottages by the sea in Ireland. Dad would bring a dinghy with an outboard, he would put down a couple of lobster pots and we would fish for mackerel.

My work had been described as ‘an ode to our wild coastlines’ (by Flora Kinnaird ). This I think is a great strapline.

One of the reasons I was drawn to linocut printmaking was that by making editions it became affordable original art. In the same way my designs can be bought on a card or tea towel and shared.

My brand values then would be about sharing my experiences of wild coastlines and it’s wildlife through my art. Creating handmade prints and quality products that are affordable. Raising awareness of seabirds, wading birds and creatures that are under threat.
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March Meet the Maker - The theme is Combination… My linocut prints work well together because of my style and colour palette. The blue-grey I return to time after time can be found on the walls of my house as I find it calming.
I’ve really enjoyed putting this combination together because it reminds me of our wild and beautiful landscapes and the incredible, precarious wildlife found there.
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