Handmade from Scotland’s shores

Art the tide left behind.

One-of-a-kind artworks made from sea-worn driftwood, frosted sea glass and shells — gathered by hand along Portobello beach and the Scottish coast, and given a second life on your wall.

Every piece begins with a slow walk along the waterline.

The sea is a patient artist. It spends years tumbling bottle glass until it glows like frosted sweets, and bleaching timber until it’s silver and smooth as bone.

I simply notice what it leaves behind — then arrange, paint and frame it into small, joyful artworks with a story in every fragment.

Sea glass hearts

Soft greens, aquas and the rare cobalt blue, set onto driftwood in hearts, trees and little seascapes.

From [PRICE]

Painted driftwood

Whales with character, little boats and harbour fish, hand-painted onto timber the waves have already weathered.

From [PRICE]

Pebble & shell pictures

Framed scenes of birds on a branch, families and shell mandalas — mostly gathered from Scotland’s own beaches.

From [PRICE]

Seaglass tinies

A single perfect fragment in its own small frame. The easiest way to take a piece of the beach home.

From [PRICE]

Small stories, salt-worn.

A look at pieces fresh from the studio table. Each is a one-off — when it’s gone, the sea decides what comes next.

No two pieces are ever the same.

The shapes, the colours, the grain of the wood — all chosen by the tide.

Hello, I’m Nicola.

I live a few streets from Portobello beach, and most mornings you’ll find me down there with my head bowed and my pockets slowly filling.

Beach Art grew from a love of the coast and a habit of never walking past anything interesting. The driftwood I use is sea-worn timber, polished by the waves and washed ashore. The shells are, in the main, collected from Scotland’s beaches — and anything I can’t find myself is sourced sustainably.

Nothing is mass-produced. Every artwork is made by hand at my table in Edinburgh, and every one carries a little of the place it came from.

Nicola

From tideline to your wall

Gather

Early walks at low tide, taking only what the sea has finished with.

Sort & rest

Everything is washed, dried slowly and sorted by colour, shape and mood.

Compose

Pieces are arranged and rearranged until the design feels like it was always meant to be.

Finish & frame

Fixed, signed and wrapped with care, ready to hang or to give.

Is there a stretch of coast that means something to you?

Wedding and anniversary hearts, house numbers, new-baby keepsakes and memorial pieces — made to order, with glass and wood from a beach you love wherever possible.

See it for yourself, close to home.

Beach Art is stocked by a small group of independent galleries and gift shops. Stock changes often, so it’s worth calling ahead if you’re after something specific.

Portobello

Edinburgh & Leith

East Lothian coast

Fife & further afield

Run a gallery or gift shop?
I’m always happy to hear from independents who love the coast as much as I do.

Say hello.

Whether you’ve fallen for a piece in the gallery, have an idea for a commission or would like to stock Beach Art, I’d love to hear from you. I usually reply within a few days — sooner if the tide’s out.