Anita Bruce (UK) – A Day on the River Nene
The River Nene is my home river and I have lived within a mile or two of it for most of my life. It’s a navigable but meandering river and now also the site of my floating studio – on narrowboat Whisper moored on its banks in the countryside, just above a lock and next to a nature reserve.
The tapestry represents a memory of a particular day on the river. Whisper was moored against a tall nettle bank on her first trip home to her new mooring further downstream. It was a glorious blue sky midsummer day and the colours were almost tropical. I spent many hours on the bow watching clouds of iridescent turquoise Banded Demoiselle damselflies flitting over the waters surface and landing on the reed sweetgrass, golden under the water. I was mesmerised – a perfect day on my river, forever in my memory.