Shorelarking on the Beach: Our Summer Art Camp 2026

Shorelarking on the Beach: Our Summer Art Camp 2026

This August, Shorelark's studio in Cockenzie was buzzing for six days of free, sea-inspired creativity — and what a week it was!

Thanks to funding from Inchcape (administered by Foundation Scotland), we welcomed children and young people and parents and carers from Prestonpans, Port Seton, Gosford and further afield in East Lothian for our Summer Art Camp.

Starting on the Sand

Every session began the same way. Not with paintbrushes, but with treasure baskets. We headed straight down to the local beaches and ports for a spot of "Shorelarking": beachcombing for sand, shells, rocks and other treasure to bring back to the studio. It turned out to be the perfect way to kick things off. The children and young people arrived relaxed, curious, and already buzzing with ideas before a single brushstroke was made.

Into the Studio

Back at Shorelark, inspired by the bold, colourful style of the late East Lothian artist John Bellany, everyone got stuck into mixed-media artmaking.

We experimented with paint, pastels, ink, air-dry clay, and even homemade textured paste from real Cockenzie Beach sand. Foraged shells and rocks became part of the artwork too, turning the morning's finds into something entirely their own.

Some of the week's biggest moments happened on the big collaborative canvases, where children worked together on shared pieces. This was a brilliant way to build new friendships between kids who'd come from different schools and never met before.

Those who attended two days of art camp were excited to keep building on their pieces across both days, watching it develop into something special.

What Families Told Us

We loved hearing how the sessions landed with families. One parent told us:

"The girls both collected sea glass, shells and other wee treasures. They were proud to present puffin paintings at the end of the session that had mosaic style glass arrangements. They thoroughly enjoyed having a bit of free will to just get creative, with Kat alongside them for guidance. The pair of them remarked about the independence they had on both the combing activity and the arts themselves. This gave them both a real confidence boost, which was noticeable when they got home and spoke to family about how they'd created the final pieces."

It was wonderful to those who arrived a little unsure open up by the end of each session. Something we think the relaxed, pressure-free beach-to-studio structure helped make possible.

The Story Continues

The large collaborative canvases created during the camp now hang proudly in the Shorelark studio, and they've had quite the fan club among our adult class participants too!

We're now chatting with local cafes and community venues about giving these pieces a wider audience, so more of the community can enjoy the artwork (and the story behind it).

A huge thank you to Inchcape and Foundation Scotland for making this camp possible, and to every family who came down to the beach and got creative with us.

We hope to do it all again next year 🌊🐚