Tide Song

Our family holidays to the seaside inspired Jonathan to create a set of wood engravings; from the mystical beauty of the mermaid to the endless sunshine of family holidays, toes wriggling in the sand, buckets and spades in hand, discovering treasures in the rock pools, oyster catchers skittling through the shallows and fish and chips on the sea front.

At the heart of Starch Green is a strong family bond never more obvious than on annual outings to the seaside. Even though the children are now grown up, we still gather on some of our favourite beaches - especially on the North Norfolk coast.

Old Hunstanton beach is the inspiration for many of our artistic endeavours. Kate spends happy hours sketching in the dunes - everything from sea holly and gulls feathers to the kids lying on the beach. Jonathan draws on the long summer days to inspire illustrations and designs that evoke the sounds and songs of the sea.

Mermaid’s Song - the first wood engraving of the collection, was used not only to create large silkscreen prints but also applied to our beautiful Mermaid Jug. On the reverse of the jug is a quote from Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet:
My bounty is as boundless as the sea,
My love as deep; the more I give to thee,
The more I have, for both are infinite