Paddleboarding artist prepares for first solo show
From Roker Bay to gallery walls – an exhibition that blends the sea, memory and creativity
Paddleboard, paints and the open sea aren’t your usual studio set-up - but for artist Anita Jazmin, it’s all part of the creative process.
Now, the Sunderland-based painter is preparing to unveil her first major solo exhibition, People, Places and Paddling, at Arts Centre Washington later this month (May).
Anita, who lives in Roker, creates much of her work while afloat on the North Sea.
Originally working with a tin of paints (before soggy disasters led her to switch to waterproof containers), she anchors her board to stay steady as she sketches and paints the changing coastal views.
“I used to drift a bit too much on the board, but now I take an anchor to keep me relatively still,” she says. “Sometimes I’ll more or less finish the works at sea, while others I’ll work on when I’m home.”
Anita’s exhibition will feature around 80 works, from delicate watercolours and sketches to portraits and artworks made using driftwood, teabag tags, and even handwritten tissue paper.
The sea and memory are key themes in Anita’s work, including a deeply personal portrait of her grandparents, coloured using used teabag tags and their handwriting.
Originally from Middlesex, Anita moved to the North East to study fine art after being captivated by the world famous Freddie the Dolphin. Decades later, she’s never happier than spending time on her paddleboard with the pods of dolphins who regularly arrive between the Roker piers and off the Wearside coast.
“Clearly, I’m inspired by the sea and nature which form the basis of so much of what I do. All of my artwork is cheerful, but sometimes I start pieces off with a sad thought or memory and then I work through my feelings in creating art – I find it very therapeutic.
“I hope people who come to see the exhibition can find something in my work – a connection, a spark, a memory.”
People, Places and Paddling, at Arts Centre Washington from May 16 to July 5.