A hairdresser said she found herself again after wild swimming on a Merseyside beach.
Beth Wigham, who goes by the name Lena and the Sea studied fine art at university before training as a hairdresser. The mum-of-three said she had barely picked up a paintbrush in 15 years as life and her children took focus.
However, things began to change during the lockdown and she began to rediscover herself again. Beth then started wild swimming on Formby beach and the landscape, cold air, and thrill she got from the sea brought on a wave of newfound inspiration.
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Beth told the ECHO: “I had begun cutting people's hair because I enjoyed it and I thought I would go into hairdressing as a way of forging a career but I always quietly had dreams of being an artist again at some point. I knew it would be in my future but I was not sure how it was going to work.
“I have three children and so much of my time has been spent looking after them. During lockdown was when I decided I wanted to find myself again and return to the thing I love.”
Beth is a wild swimmer, which means she takes to the water outdoors in all seasons and it is not a hobby for the faint-hearted. However, Lena was lucky enough to have the best teacher she could ask for, her mum, who Lena says still takes the plunge every single day, “come rain or shine”.
Beth works on paper and canvas with a range of mediums. She uses all kinds of tools to paint, scrape, slide, roll, spread, and push the images into being. Each piece is formed differently.
The 36-year-old said: “I feel like it is what I’m supposed to be doing and I feel really fulfilled. It is where I can be myself and share this part of my life with others. It is the connection between those two things that make me feel really fulfilled, it is a crazy wild, and cold thing.
“Then I come back and try to capture that in my artwork. It makes me feel strong and peaceful, just being in nature I guess. I just get so much out of it.”
Beth will be showcasing work at Arts Bar Hope Street in Liverpool this month. The Earth Day exhibition will run from run Friday 21 to Sunday 23.
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