Nicola Furbisher, Driftwood Artist

Welcome to Drifting DownTime

Finding things, making things, starting something, never quite sure how it will end up.

I love driftwood: you see it on the beach and it makes you think. And you pick it up, dust it off, turn it this way and that; lay it out to dry for 2-3 weeks, glancing at it every now and then, studying it, watching as it changes weight, colour, shape, sometimes.

And then…there’s a little shifting of something…..and when you put it down, it’s not back with the other pieces, but on the table, ready…

I guess it’s the mystery and unknowable backstory that draws me time and time again to the pieces of wood, china, glass, odds and ends to be found on the tideline.

If they could talk, what could they tell us?  From where have they travelled and how long did it take for them to end up here?

I’m often asked where the DownTime project began. And in truth, while it’s the former journalist in me that loves a good mystery , I think, in the main, it’s because of a boy called Thomas, my little star, who spent his final days with me watching the seas and marching the windswept dunes of Northumberland, and who now flies with the birds at Flamborough Head.

To know more about me and my boy – and about life after he left. You’ll find our story – and perhaps a little indication of why I do what I do – here:

http://nicola-furbisher.blogspot.co.uk

Thank you for your interest, 

Nicola x