For the first May Bank holiday we asked people to share their best images and artwork that capture the beauty of the nearest-available nature, and the water we wish we were in.
Our judges, Kari Furre and Morgan Jones, picked their favourite artwork and photo, each of which will receive a brukit each from our sponsor, Alpkit, from the wide variety of entries. The judges share their reasons for choosing the winning entries, and each of the entries on their shortlist.
KARI: The pier, an architectural drawing, a vision of the future, an echo of the past? It seems to play an overture as the sea curtain is preparing to reveal the first act.
MORGAN: I love the contrast between the stark, industrial-like pier and the smooth water. The light, composition and subject were just lovely, and provided a moment of calm.
KARI:The vibrating green of spring with the river hidden in plain sight. The reflected log, solid and monumental, yet we know it is an illusion, this photo lets us all share the secret, the anticipation…..
MORGAN: The lush greenery of this photo coupled with the perfectly flat water creating this fantastic reflection just hits you – a true celebration of nature!
KARI: A wonderful layered image, from under the water to the top of the mountain, a condensed vision of everything we are missing.
MORGAN: I am missing Scotland and its cold, clear water right now, and this photo brought the places I love the most back to me. Full of calmness and beauty.
KARI: A wonderful textured image .Neither the sky nor the sea looks normal, the disappearing perspective of the dark forest goes on forever. A photograph of time itself.
MORGAN: The reflection in this image makes the water look fluffy, almost cloud-like, and those clouds are edged with sunlight. A calm moment with depth and simplcity.
Ruth Surtees (dr_ruthjoy)
KARI: The Liffey is so embedded in the history and culture of Ireland, The moon is so embedded in our understanding of water. The river is not in sight, but we know it is there. An ephemeral photo of fairies and ghosts.
MORGAN: A beautifully layered, textured shot, with a wonderful tone to the sky at dusk, rounded off with a bright full moon.
KARI: A contemporary image, A specific place but universal at the same time. The title says it all.
MORGAN: I love this one – the perfect reflection, the single tone of the land against the shades of blue in the sky. Simple and bold at the same time.
KARI: Cobwebs, water and light. Strength and fragility enveloping a waiting landscape. A sense of yearning leaps from this picture.
MORGAN: This photo was of two extremes for me – a wide open expanse of water with dense sunlight, and the intricacy of the cobweb. A shot taken in a perfect moment.
KARI: A plastic sea in the dawn light. I am not sure I feel it is hopeful, but an amazing reminder of the sea. I have often had to look twice at fields covered with plastic, meanwhile we wait for the real thing.
MORGAN: This is just such a clever shot, and really fits the brief. A true swimmer sees water in everything, and Kirsty has done just that.
KARI: A meditation about the acceptance of this waiting time. We know the image is changing second by second, but like a Chinese painting it is a picture of eternity.
MORGAN: The birds, the water and the light are soothing – I can feel myself looking out of my local estuary when I look at this photo. It is for moments like this that I swim outside, and this photo makes me long to do that again.
Sarah Wimperis (Kernow_wild_swimming)
KARI: This painting reminds me of the trees coming down to the Dart, it conjures up the whole atmosphere of the river. Although the painting is in bright daylight it reminds me of Alice Oswald’s epic poem -The Dart: “when the tide is on the rise at full moon when the river grazes the skirts of the trees”
MORGAN: I just want to be there, dipping my toes in that water. This piece of work made me feel as if I was back in my local river, with all the texture and green-ness that Spring brings.
Sarah Wimperis (kernow_wild_swimming)
KARI: Our favourite activity, swimming over a garden of seaweeds, such a sensitive and appropriate use of water colour.
MORGAN: The colours of water and seaweed here are so perfect, as is the medium used. I love the view this is painted in – like a seal is looking upon a swimmer as they pass by.
KARI: A mesmerising pattern of repeat images, all slightly individual, how I would love you to come and paint a wall in my house. The choice of ripples and plants, are immediately familiar, but not cliched. Arts and Crafts at its very best.
MORGAN: A very different entry, and beautiful for its detail, and for sharing snippets of nature that the artist has found important in their swimming.
KARI: A watery immediacy that really looks like your are there, painting in the rain. I do hope you were. Damp paper, damp images, blurred by damp – I know that place.
MORGAN: There is a simplicity to this that shows the subject in a different light, with a childish element – simple colour, shapes and elements that produce a full landscape we can relate to.
Judy Powell (jpowel470)
KARI: What a wonderful quality of drawing, decorative, truthful, amusing, an illustrative treatment that brings a wry smile.
MORGAN: I love this! A beautifully drawn piece, but filled with fun, and portrays my least favourite part of swimming in a new light.
Holly Rumble (rumble.holly)
KARI: A conceptual image we can all identify with.
MORGAN: I love the deep colours used in this, and the way the detail of the water movement and the swimmer are shown through lack of colour. It has all the basic elements of a swim – the hills, the water, and a simple swimmer, that I need right now.