Colin Riches and Lydia Fullylove

River and sky at Dimbola

Thanks to Suzanne and Alan for this latest report. Ed


Artist Colin Riches and writer Lydia Fullylove have compiled a chronicle of the passing of the four seasons on the Western Yar estuary.

Their exploration of the area took place via visual images, poetry and diary observations. This body of work details their journey through this watery landscape and takes into account the experiences of the folk who work on the land.

Fascinating insights into life on the land
‘The River and the Sky’, arranged by Dimbola curator Rachel Flynn, can be seen at Dimbola Gallery, Freshwater until 4th February 2015. There were certainly some fascinating insights into life on the land.

During the journey, the owners of King’s Manor decided to discontinue grazing their herd of Aberdeen Angus cattle and having become quite used to seeing the cattle within the landscape those undertaking the project found that the cattle were missed when no longer there.

A number of workshops were included in the project. Children from Yarmouth and Shalfleet Primary Schools were among those taking part.

‘Estuary’
In collaboration with a preview evening of the exhibition was the launch of a book entitled ‘Estuary’ featuring Lydia’s collection of poetry and prose compiled in conjunction with the project as well as Colin’s art work.

Although Colin has now relocated to Cornwall, he returned to Dimbola for the exhibition opening and he and Lydia talked of their experiences on their journey along and around the River Yar.

Dr Brian Hinton MBE Chairman of the Trustees of Dimbola congratulated both Colin and Lydia on their work which shows what can be learned about the estuary even if you are used to seeing it on a daily basis.

Image: © Suzanne Whitewood