I paint whilst I paddleboard off the Sunderland coast - here's how you can see my work
A Roker artist is really making a splash in the arts world - by painting as she paddleboards.
Both can be a difficult pastime to master in their own right, but Anita Jazmin manages to paddleboard and paint at the same time, creating some striking pieces along the way.
Now, the public can enjoy some of her pieces created at sea in the artist’s first major exhibition.
Entitled People, Places and Paddling, Anita’s exhibition opens at Arts Centre Washington on Friday, May 16 after she won ACW’s Spotlight Washington Open Exhibition in 2023.
Her creations are inspired by nature and some of the pieces in the exhibition feature views of Roker, where she lives and from where she sets off on her paddleboard.
“I enjoy the beauty of the sea and the tranquillity of paddleboarding, but I also paint while out at sea. Originally, I took out a painting set in a tin, but things got a bit soggy, and I now take out a set of watercolours in a plastic box which is much better,” Anita explained.
“I used to drift a bit too much on the board, but now I take an anchor to keep me relatively still. Sometimes I’ll more or less finish the works at sea, while others I’ll work on when I’m home.”
The artist has produced 80 pieces of artwork, in various forms, for the forthcoming free exhibition.
There are watercolours, sketches, portraits and artwork created from driftwood she’s picked up off Roker and Seaburn beaches.
Meanwhile, some of the pen and pencil sketches are influenced by artists Norman Cornish and Vincent Van Gogh.
Originally from Middlesex, Anita worked as a photographer in London. Her introduction to the north east came on her 21 st birthday when she travelled up to Amble to swim with Freddie, the friendly dolphin who had become a media sensation.
“I kept coming up to see him and when I wanted to take my love of art further, I decided to take my degree at the University of Sunderland so I could be nearer to Freddie. Ironically, the year I moved up to the region, 1991, was the year he passed away,” Anita said.
Once she had completed her degree in fine art, specialising in sculpture, Anita spent a number of years teaching and supporting adults with autism through art in community settings.
Now, she’s never happier than spending time on her paddleboard with the pods of dolphins who regularly arrive between the Roker piers and off the Wearside coast.
Several of her pieces of work for the exhibition feature tea leaves, tea bag tags and handwriting.
“The tea leaves give some of my pieces an interesting texture while I use tea bag tags in pieces such as a portrait of my gran and grandad – I use them to colour her dress.
“Meanwhile, I also use people’s handwriting on tissue paper. I’ve also used this technique on the portrait of my gran and grandad, it’s a lovely connection with them and a way of remembering them through my art,” said Anita.
“Clearly, I’m inspired by the sea and nature which form the basis of so much of what I do. All of my artwork is cheerful, but sometimes I start pieces off with a sad thought or memory and then I work through my feelings in creating art – I find it very therapeutic.
“I hope people who come to see the exhibition can find something in my work – a connection, a spark, a memory.
“There will be a comments book and I’ll be fascinated to find out what people have found. I was overwhelmed to win the exhibition, and I still can’t quite believe I have my own show at ACW,” she added.
People, Places and Paddling: An Exhibition will be at ACW until Saturday, July 5. It’s free to attend.