Trinity zooms in on region’s ? people

A DRYSTANE dyker, horse loggers, a river keeper, a musician and a yoga teacher are just some of the people photographed by Trinity Coombs who lives and works in the lands along the River Nith.

The 22-year-old photographer will be showing her work at this year’s Spring Fling open studios weekend next week.

One of these projects, ‘A Rich Seam’, was a year-long documentary study of how landscape shapes the lives and creativity of the people of Nithsdale.

Among others, it featured

• Andy Goldsworthy, sculptor, photographer and environmentalist
• Alan Sutherland, a drystane dyker whose work continues a centuries-old craft that shapes the local landscape
• Steffi Schaffler, David Roycroft and their apprentice Zen Smylie who use horses for their forestry work.
• Howard Rankin, a seasoned fishing guide and river keeper whose life is intertwined with the River Nith itself. More than a guide, he’s a guardian of its stories and traditions.
• Jane Bailey who teaches health and wellbeing through yoga, meditation, and reiki. Nature plays a central role in Jane’s practice, and she regularly turns to the outdoors as a source of calm, clarity, and grounding.
• Emily Smith, award-winning singer, songwriter and composer.

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WALLING WORK . . . Alan Sutherland, dry stane dyker, as captured by Trinity[/caption]

Trinity’s work has earned her one of this year’s sought-after Upland Emerge Bursaries for early career artists.

Deeply inspired by the landscape of Dumfries and Galloway, her music blends tradition and original material.

Trinity, who studied at Glasgow City College before returning to live and work in Dumfries and Galloway after graduating, said: “My work is rooted in storytelling and is about connecting and engaging with people and the land.

“While documenting A Rich Seam, I met such interesting and knowledgeable people and encountered a wide range of landscapes along the River Nith from its source in the hills to the Solway Firth.

“Through this, I came to understand the many ways people use, respond to, and draw inspiration from the land around them.”

Visitors can meet Trinity and see her work at the Old School Thornhill.

• Full details about this year’s Spring Fling can be found at: www.spring-fling.co.uk.