The new nautical – Coast magazine

Inspired by the seabirds and boats that flit around the South Devon coastline, Bert Fowler brings a fresh look to his marine-themed homeware range dreamed up in his design studio, perched high above Torquay harbour. Words Anna Turns.

Watching the boats sail through Torquay harbour on the South Devon coast, with gulls taking off and ever-changing cloud formations above, Bert Fowler begins his day in his second-floor studio. With the light flooding in from a floor-to-ceiling window, his studio is a place of calm and inspiration, with a 1950s drawing board and ideas chalkboard at its heart. Pen and paper in front of him, he sketches a new oystercatcher design inspired by the seabirds he spotted recently a few miles away at Slapton.

‘I consider how a bird breaks down into its most simple form – long legs, a dark body and a strong red-orange beak – and create clean block lines that look quite mathematical,’ Bert explains. ‘My drawing board allows me to scribble and make mistakes on paper without getting bogged down in the detail.’ Once he’s happy with his new sketch, he’ll do a ‘scamp’ and create a simple digital version with slabs of colour – perhaps two circles for a seabird and a triangle for a boat – before refining it for his seaside-themed homewares and interiors brand, Bert & Buoy, where it might appear on anything from an oven glove to a mug to a cushion.

Read the full article here.