STUDIO | Low Tide | East Neuk of Fife
I'm an art specialist and professional beachcomber finding both balance and inspiration in the rhythms of family life while immersing myself in Fife's rugged coastline. For nearly 25 years, I've been driven by a deep-seated belief in the power of creative engagement, often through collaborative art projects, to connect us to our environment and to each other.
Growing up in Fife instilled in me a deep appreciation for our coastal landscape and a desire to give back to the community that nurtured me. It is here that my creative work finds a sustainable rhythm, shaped by my need to manage immune dysfunction and associated bouts of fatigue, setting the pace for how I plan my days and working rhythm.
I moved to Edinburgh at 17 to study at Edinburgh College of Art, where I spent six years immersed in a world of creativity, graduating with a First Class BA(Hons) Degree in Drawing & Painting, followed by a Postgraduate MFA. During this time, I became increasingly fascinated by the alternative photographic processes emerging in the 18th and 19th centuries. Largely overshadowed by rapid advancements in traditional photography, these techniques offer a compelling opportunity to explore sustainable methods that resonate with contemporary environmental concerns.
After completing my MFA, I spent 3 years as Artist-in-Residence and teaching A-Level Art at both Repton School in Derbyshire, followed by Edinburgh Academy. During this time, I felt a growing desire to focus my skills and creative energy, honed over those years, on less privileged communities. Recognising that art can be a powerful tool for positive change, and feeling that my efforts could have a more meaningful impact within different social settings, I began to pursue projects aimed at broadening positive social change.
That commitment led my husband and I to bring our young family back to Fife, desiring to raise our two sons in a home that fosters and supports creativity, whilst forming a deep connection and respect for the outdoors.
My commitment to inclusivity and challenging inequalities informs every aspect of my practice, from large-scale initiatives - such as my role as Lead Artist for the Big Draw during Glasgow's Commonwealth Games, facilitating creative workshops for approximately 20,000 participants over 17 days - to intimate workshops for smaller groups, such as children outside formal education. I’m drawn to the challenges this creates in my practice; the need to remain adaptable and responsive - thinking on my feet, one idea engendering the next - is what I find most compelling about this work, leading me forward towards connection and positive change.
More recently, I was selected as the Lead Artist for Fife for Remembering Together, a national initiative led by Greenspace Scotland, commissioning artists in every local authority to co-create meaningful responses to the pandemic alongside their communities. Fife's community voices expressed a powerful desire to invest in people, encouraging greater outdoor engagement, and ultimately forge a positive legacy born from a difficult shared experience.
Two years later, the result is PROCESS: a boxed publication housed inside a working camera obscura, each containing two handbound books alongside artworks and tools designed to inspire connection, reflection, and renewal. Each element of PROCESS was meticulously designed, written, folded, bound and hand-fabricated by me in my studio in Fife. This limited edition of 500 boxed artworks were then gifted to civic spaces around Fife.
Whether leading a workshop or combing beaches for sea-worn treasures, I'm driven by a belief that meaningful engagement with our surroundings not only fosters a deeper understanding of ourselves and our place in the world, but also unlocks a profound sense of calm, rootedness, and overall wellbeing.
- Katie
STUDIO | Low Tide | East Neuk of Fife
Supporting my creative endeavours, Scottish Beach Finds has grown significantly over the last 15+ years to a global beachcombing business, allowing me to dwell in this unique area of coastline daily. This obsession I‘ve held since childhood - seeking out seaworn relics and their stories from Fife’s industrial heritage - has been featured in magazine articles both at home and abroad, and attracts a following of around 15,000.
To follow my life as a beachcomber:
To book a short-term holiday let in our Studio Annexe:
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