This week’s Book on the Bird Table is from Coast & Cove: An artist’s year in paint and pen by Anna Koska, published by Pavilion Books.
Written as a series of journal entries through the seasons, Anna Koska guides us thoughtfully through the year at her new home on the Devon coast, including the upheaval of moving and the strangeness of navigating the pandemic at the same time. Her tales of life beside the sea are beautifully observed, contemplative and deeply personal.
Delicate and evocative illustrations of the plants and wildlife she finds while walking the dog, kayaking or sky-gazing accompany her essays, as she conjures up the feelings, textures and connections that her brushes with nature every day create for her.
The quality of the book’s paper and binding, and the different shades of its pages as you make your way through the collection all help to make the experience of reading a tactile one to match the subject matter.
Rendered in pen and ink, watercolour and egg tempera, Anna’s artworks bring to life the circling sand martin, iridescent jellyfish, papery leeks and a host of other birds, fish and plants. A love letter to the natural world, nature and memoir combine in a wonderful evocation of finding hope in a new location and way of life.
This beautiful collection will appeal to both those lucky enough to call the coast of the UK their home as well as visitors who wish to recreate the magic of nature depicted within.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Anna Koska is a freelance illustrator specialising in fruit, vegetables and the natural world. As well as book illustration, Anna regularly receives commissions from chefs, authors and restaurateurs for food and botanical art. She lives by the coast in Devon with her husband and three children, having spent many years in East Sussex. Along with her illustrating business, she grows an overly ambitious quantity of veg, and cares for three hives and chickens. She forest-runs, cycles and is fervent in her efforts to supply the family with homemade everything. Her first book From Field & Forest was published in 2021.
from Coast & Cove: An artist’s year in paint and pen is available from bookshops including:
from Coast & Cove: An artist’s year in paint and pen
£11.52
Discover Animals is a small team dedicated to bringing you the latest conservation and nature news. If you enjoy our content, please support our work with a donation from as little as £1.
