Beachlife

There's a new venture taking shape on Dungeness beach in the form of a pop-up pub for the hugely successful Romney Marsh Brewery. Matt, Cathy and family are bringing their award-winning beer to the RHDR station with 'Ales by the Rails'. In true Dungeness style they have transformed a shed into a fully formed beer hut with barrels and pumps - and as the creator of the Dungeness font (which features on their merchandise), we were asked to design and build the signage.

Happy to help, the result is a bespoke, handcrafted and hand-painted set of wooden signs that we built outside during a spell of good weather. After being nailed, painted, stabilised and varnished we used a technique to distress them slightly, giving them a well-worn, aged, smokey appearance.

Ales by the Rails will open on Friday the 16th of June so we wish them all the best and urge you to get down there and support them.

The design takes shape

Preparing the font

Measuring up

Nearly finished

Drying in the sun

After a flurry of film and photography shoots that required an authentic but slightly post-apocalyptic look we have spent time de-cluttering and re-organising the work spaces around the studios. The Lab has been updated and readied to make efficient space for painting as commissions are coming thick and fast. Here is just one of the paintings in progess:

Working title: 'Pathway of Diminishing Returns'

One of the pieces of work that was hanging in Studio 2 has been sent to south London (that groovy part) for a show which has made space for a change of dynamic in there and the display of the new, colourful, polychromatic multi-media work that has been taking shape.

Painting new works

Completed works hanging in Studio 2

We have had a very busy time with Airbnb, welcoming guests from all over the world and receiving lots of positive feedback and reviews, which is very humbling. We have met such diverse and interesting people. We are always sad to see them leave!

There have been a number of approaches from galleries and consultants in this last week, which we are considering as although we like going on tour, we love being here on this beach, especially now. One very welcome visitor was the renowned art academic, groundbreaking photographer and friend, Tom Evans, currently of Tenterden, who has several collaborations in mind for us, which we will happily proceed with. We were honoured to have an exclusive view of his current, large format photographs. Not only were they highly skilled and technically brilliant, they were also profoundly moving.

The garden is bursting with new flowers and plants again after a storm. Everything comes back altered but still beautiful. Most days we are adding new ones or planting out seedlings. The plants for sale at the moment include borage, sea kale, lychnis and cosmos, amongst others.

The umbrella snapped quickly before snapping in the wind again

Poppy

Jostling for position

Wild poppies about to pop