Winter artist

Occasionally, wet snow flops out of the sky onto the ground and quickly melts. Earlier, the only saving grace of being for my daily surf was that the water was warmer than the air—10C/60F versus 3C/37F. I probably looked a strange sight bobbing in the sea as the coldest day of the winter whipped up frantic waves.

But from my vantage point, when Melanie Mowinski came jogging down the beach at the end of her morning 10K run, she was the one that looked slightly out of place in what could only be seen as a rather bleak setting. Between us, we couldn’t decide who was the crazier.

Melanie, arrived from the East coast of America at the tail end of a very hot July only to be hit with a blast of Antarctic air just as she was getting over jet lag. Pity.

However, as a Windgrove resident artist, she does have a heated studio, heated accommodation and a very hot shower to turn to for solace. Besides, this is a return visit after being here two years ago so she knew what to expect.

From paper making to book making to water-colours, oils and wood cuts, Melanie uses the natural environment as both inspiration and contextual focus as she attempts, like many environmental artists, to help heal the human relationship to the natural world. I greatly admire her willingness to use her talents to seek transformation of the public’s perception of the environment rather than using her art as a path to fame and fortune.

Part of me would like the weather to be soft, windless and warm for the comfort of my guests and I, therefore, cringe a little bit each morning when the weather is a tad on the bone chilling wild side. Then again, I also know that whatever weather gets thrown at Melanie, it is a tool for learning. Set in this landscape, a very important tool, indeed.

I think she is loving living “on the edge”.