Artist's lampshades a beacon of hope

She runs Castaway Textiles from her Tomakin studio, creating lampshades, baskets, vases and other vessels from discarded or abandoned ropes which otherwise would become ocean waste.

Sometimes when she returns to her studio home, she finds someone has dumped an old boating or oyster-lease rope over her front gate.

The sight of another ditched rope on her lawn brings great joy: It is one less piece of plastic in the ocean.

Ms Davis has spent her whole life by the ocean, enjoying it's beauty, wildlife and endless possibility.

"I don't remember ever not being connected to the ocean," she said.

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When she isn't in the water surfing, Ms Davis can often be found collecting ocean waste off the tideline at beaches along the Eurobodalla.

She has spent her whole life crocheting, weaving and creating.

So when COVID lockdowns provided more time, Ms Davis' creative tinkering intertwined with her love for the ocean and Castaway Textiles was born.

Each object is unique, and has it's own story. A blue lampshade on the bench was a rope salvaged in Murramarang National Park, another basket from a rope retrieved in Tasmania.

"Castaway Textiles was really the natural follow on from my passion," she said.

"It's another way for me to have the conversation about the threats to our oceans."

Ms Davis hopes her pieces start discussions and inspire people to care more about cleaning up the oceans.

"When you're in someone's house, and you see something a little bit different you can't help but ask about it," she said.

"If, by doing this, I can have more conversations around the threats to the ocean and how everyone can be part of the solution, great."

Ms Davis was commission by a wheat farmer who lives in central NSW to create a piece to sit in her dining hall, thousands of kilometres from the ocean.

"Even though she lives inland, she has a love for the ocean and can now have conversations when people visit," Ms Davis said.

Ms Davis knows Castaway Textiles isn't the solution to all ocean waste, but it is one beacon of hope and potential, floating to the surface.

Ms Davis is an ambassador for Tangaroa Blue - an Australian not-for-profit dedicated to the removal and prevention of marine debris.

Tangaroa Blue created the Australian Marine Debris Initiative (AMDI) - a database where organisations or individuals can record the waste they collect from the sea with the hope of reducing ocean-litter before it gets wet.

"If all we ever do is clean up, that's all we'll ever do," Ms Davis said.

"Anyone can clean up a beach, but by monitoring what we pick up off the beach, we can work back to the source of the problem. That's how we change behaviour.

"It's our responsibility as people who live on the planet to be doing what you can."

Ms Davis is having an open studio as a part of the River of Art festival on September 17 from 10am to 4pm.