Six Foot Gallery is delighted to present its annual Summer Show, featuring thirty-four artists working in a diverse range of mediums and disciplines.

After living on and exploring the Moray coastline for the past few years, it has become an obvious influential subject for Lara Edgar. Much like the layered and active landscape around her, the work she creates goes through many changes as it grows. Lara is inspired by the physical feeling of the land as much as its appearance: the grit of the sand, the salt in the sea, and the rough, bumpy jagged bits that trip you up as you walk. Architectural fragments from the past like lighthouses, old bothies, and pillboxes stand as reminders of human interaction with the coast, and Lara is as drawn to these dilapidated man-made structures as she is the natural world they sit in. She is currently repurposing old frames in an exploration of the relationship between the past and present, human-made and natural, to the cycle of the constantly changing landscape.

Hi Lara! How did you arrive at the theme of your work? 
I’ve always been interested in the reminders of history dotted about the landscape around me. Throughout art school I developed an interest in responding to the relics of the coal mining industry found in the area where I grew up. The historical fragments and landscape I respond to now are just from a different part of the country and about a different aspect of history. 

Are there specific advantages or challenges associated with working in your chosen mediums, and have you experimented with other mediums or techniques?
I find it can be tricky to know what to use and when if producing an image in mixed media. How the work is produced is quite specific too, for example, I don’t always sit and work on a piece for a long period of time, I’ll be walking past the work to do something else and end up distracted by it and add something or scrape a bit away.  In terms of other mediums, I absolutely love printmaking. I currently have a tiny press at home that I’m experimenting with. 

How do you typically approach your creative process from initial inspiration to the completion of your artwork? 
Walking is usually the starting point. We take the dog for walks in the woods and along beaches which allows me to see and find things. From there I photograph and draw. Then, snippets from these photographs can be pasted directly onto the surface I’m working on or I’ll draw out a composition and go from there. Whether I continue with the initial idea is a different story, I sometimes completely rework things before getting to a completion stage. 

How do you know when a piece is complete? 
No idea! I’m not sure if anyone does. You just sort of decide that’s it. Or, you take it too far and ruin the whole thing. 

Will your next project be a continuation of your current style or are you experimenting with something different? Can you share a glimpse of your next project? 
Yes, I am continuing to work with mixed media frames exploring the different relics and fragments found along the Moray coast. I’d like to produce a series of these images. As I’m currently experimenting with my wee printmaking press, there are a few ideas I’m aiming to work on with that. 

Are there any upcoming events or additional information you would like the audience to know?
“Millie Bothy” will be on display at the Big Art Show in Paisley this year. I also have two other artworks there too. The show runs from 30th August to 16th November 2024. 

You can find out more about Lara and her work on her website. Our Summer Open Call Exhibition runs at Six Foot Gallery until Friday 23rd August.