Raking It
Josie Ballin
It was pure serendipity that I stumbled upon this beautiful art intervention while enjoying a Sunday walk on Gwithian Towans beach. I initially thought it was the work of famous landscape artist Tony Plant but after digging about a bit online (no pun intended) I recognised the handy work of Chris Howarth, known as 'One Man & His Rake'.
Even as a child I felt like there was something very special about making the first mark on unbroken sand - imprinting a line of footprints, cutting a line through the canvas with a stick. I really delighted in watching an online film showing Chris raking his swirling patterns, which are cleanly washed away by the tide.
I'm particularly drawn to Chris' strong, clean geometric designs without any text, which make a pure and elegant statement. The epic scale and bold graphic shapes are something to marvel at as well as the zen like process, temporal beauty and interaction with the landscape.
Image: Work by Chris Howarth. Photograph by Josie Ballin
Words: Josie Ballin