The windswept and weather-beaten shores of both this island and one further to the north have inspired the latest art exhibition at a local gallery.

’Island to Island’, a joint art project that draws both similar and contrasting influences from the Isle of Man and the Orkney island of Westray, opened at the Hodgson Loom Gallery, in Laxey, last weekend.

The exhibition features pieces of artwork created mainly from textiles and carved rock, and has been created by Manx-born artist Louise Martin and Ros Bryant, who lives on Westray.

’The whole of Orkney has a similar surface area to the Isle of Man,’ said Ros

’Although it has a fifth of the population, twice the amount of coastline and fewer trees, it is a much more sparse place.

’We wanted to look at the whole idea of island-ness and what it means to live on an island, how it affects life and how does that change between the Isle of Man and a very different island like Westray.’

The exhibition is, at its core, elemental, with creations in rough wool displayed alongside carved pieces of slate and sandstone.

’Originally, I was a weaver, but more recently I have been working with stone and weave together, stone being my second medium,’ said Ros.

’I have worked in both Manx slate and Orkney stone, and I like the comparison between the two.

’Both islands have red sandstone, but we also have yellow sandstone and black flagstone, which is similar to slate, in Orkney.’

Louise works predominantly with wool and fabrics, and her work is a varied collection of styles and themes.

’My work is quite varied,’ said Louise, who originally grew up in Sulby and around St Jude’s.

’There are a lot of playful pieces, made from china and stone that I have found, and also some landscape pieces. That’s how I work.

’I’ve found that, even though there are 600 or so people on Westray, compared with the 70,00 or so people who lived here when I left the Isle of Man, there is still a commonality between the places.

’My work is very much about the place and of the place.

’A few years ago, when I was up in Orkney, I started to look at the patterns of ploughed fields, and that is one thread I have continued to explore.

’Also the sea crops up, and the interesting intensity of the colours that you can see.

It’s more of a reaction to a place than a personal style.’

Her stand-out piece is a delicate hanging creation, made from paper and weft.

’It is called 1.2, and is a type of warp that I used to do with my Nan,’ she said

’It is the outline of St Jude’s, around the Pond Road, and it charts the fields and the field patterns that I spent a lot of time around.’

’Island to island’ is open to view, between 11am to 4.30pm until Saturday, July 20.

by Mike Wade

twitter:@iomnewspapers