Page 31 of One Cornish Summer With You
‘Have I missed anything?’ he asked.
Her frown melted away and her eyes crinkled at the corners as if she was pleased to see him. ‘Nope. You’re fine. I only just started.’
Tendrils escaped from her hair, wisping around her face, while the streaks of zinc oxide cream across each cheek made her look as if she was ready for some ancient battle. That combination of toughness and vulnerability was a heady mix, one he was becoming addicted to.
The tools of her trade lay beside her: a couple of slim rakes, the kind his dad used to collect leaves from the lawn, except these were telescopic to make them easy to carry.
‘What are we creating tonight then? I mean, what are you creating,’ he said, hastily correcting himself.
‘It can be we, if you like,’ she said with a sparkle in her eye. ‘The first one is a giant image of a main sponsor’s logo. They’re a surf clothing company and the logo is a curling wave. They want me to add a girl riding the wave. Scaling it up is a challenge and it has to look amazing from the cliffs and in the drone footage,’ she explained.
‘I know you can do it,’ Ruan said. ‘But I appreciate working for a big company must be stressful.’
‘To be honest, it freaks me out a bit. A lot. The fee is more than welcome, obviously, but it increases the pressure to knock it out of the park with my design.’
‘You can only do what you would normally,’ Ruan said, ‘and from what I’ve seen, your normal is amazing.’
‘Thanks.’
‘What about the other two designs?’ Ruan asked, picking up one of her rakes and marvelling at the simplicity of it compared to the sublime results it produced.
‘They’re totally up to me as long as they tie in with the eco ocean theme in a loose way and they “capture the imagination of festival goers used to a weekend of fantastic music, dance and circus performances”.’
He snorted. ‘No pressure, then.’
She sighed. ‘It’s so different to creating art purely for myself. Sometimes I decide to draw something just because I’ve spotted a new cove where the sea has changed the landscape enough to make the beach the perfect canvas for a piece of art. I visualise what might fit there, or I’m inspired by the geology or the landscape.’
‘You must want people to see your art, though?’
‘Yes, but I don’t get upset if they don’t. I enjoy the physical act of creating it, especially somewhere new. If people on the coast paths randomly come across it and are touched by it, that’s a bonus. This festival is huge – the most public place I’ve ever shared.’
‘So what have you chosen for your own designs?’ he asked, hoping he hadn’t added to her nervousness with his questions.
‘I was thinking of a leaping bottlenose dolphin for the second day. They aren’t that common around Cornwall and there are a lot of threats to them. When the sea washes the creature away, it will illustrate the fragility of their existence off Cornwall.’ Her voice became animated.
‘That’s brilliant. It’ll look great from above.’
‘Hopefully.’ She held up crossed fingers.
‘And the third day?’
‘A modified version of the rising sun I did for Dad,’ she said without hesitation.
‘Ah, that would be beautiful, but I imagine it could be challenging for you in a different way?’
‘Yes … but I feel I’m ready to share it with more people. I’ve practised it several times and it means a lot to me. When the sun sets, it’s another reminder of the transience of life, and of the natural world – yet it rises again in the morning, and when it does there’s hope.’ She screwed up her nose. ‘That sounds cheesy, said out loud.’
‘No, it makes perfect sense,’ he said quickly. ‘I know you’ll smash it.’
Her smile seemed rather forced. This was such a big deal for her.
‘Let’s get on with it then.’
She worked smoothly, etching the marks in the sand, at one with her environment, explaining how she transferred the design from an initial paper sketch and iPad design to the beach.
Suddenly, she paused, turned to him with a big grin and declared. ‘Now it’s your turn.’
‘I—’
