Trying to catch the mist

A collaboration with Charlene Storey

Lost

The mist over the water can make it feel as though you’re standing in another world, another time. Everything disappears - the horizon, the hills, the sky itself - and all that’s left is the memory of the place and the grey air swirling around you. All clarity is lost and memories fade into the clouds along with the town. 

In a place like Shetland you’re always conscious of the past and the people who have loved and lived here before you: the edges of their crofts and the ruins of their houses are visible on the hills and the past exists alongside the present in a visceral way through the sea and weather. 

Holding on to memories - our own and those of a culture filled with unrecorded stories - feels like trying to catch the mist. They all become graduallty less tangible, until they fade altogether, lost in the haze of time. 

Standing on the shore among the clouds I think of the women who stood here before me, looking out for their men to come back from the fishing, staring and staring for any sign of life on the sea. I think of the women who watched one of those boats sink, too far out to help, too close to avoid seeing the tragedy take place. 

Lost. 

I think of the women, their memories, and I stare out to sea too, trying to make them out in the mist. Trying to grasp onto them and their stories. 

But all that’s left is the grey of the sky and the gentle swish of the sea. 

And me, not lost, but looking.

Words by

Charlene Storey

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I collaborated with seven writers to bring their themes of water to my latest body of work. Each creative chose a piece that resonated and wrote the words true to them.

Charlene Storey

(she/her) describes herself as a writer, photographer, teacher, island dweller, collector of moments and memories, occasional artist, and constant dreamer. She shares stories & photographs of everyday magic, memories, little moments of island life, and reminders to keep looking for the light.

Charlene and I met on Substack. I resonated with her lust for slowness. A need to create a space that feels like a cozy kitchen table. When we connected to collaborate, she shared more about her Shetland history, how she wrote what she first felt when I saw this piece, and the beautiful unknowns of printmaking.