Autumn on the Cornish Coast: How October Inspires My Collage Palette
There's a particular kind of magic that descends on Cornwall in autumn. The summer crowds have gone, the light turns golden and low, and the coastline reveals a completely different personality. For me, it's the most inspiring time of year and it shows in my work.
The Colours of October
Walk the cliffs around Porthcurno or Kynance Cove in October and you'll notice the palette has shifted entirely. The vivid turquoise of summer gives way to deeper, moodier tones — burnt amber, slate grey, deep teal, and the rich russet of bracken turning on the clifftops. These are the colours I find myself reaching for as the season changes.
When I sit down with a stack of upcycled magazines, I'm instinctively drawn to different shades in autumn. A terracotta from an old interiors spread. A smoky blue from a travel feature. A warm ochre from a food magazine. The magazines don't change — but the season tells me which pages to tear.
Finding Autumn in Unexpected Places
One of the things I love most about working with upcycled materials is that the colours already exist — they're just waiting to be found. A fashion shoot from five years ago might hold exactly the burnt orange I need for a cliff-face at dusk. A vintage car advertisement might have the perfect slate grey for a November sea.
Autumn gives me permission to go darker, richer, more textured. The finished pieces feel warmer somehow, like they belong on a wall beside a lit fire rather than a sun-drenched window ledge.
What This Means for New Work
Every September, I find my studio filling up with new experiments. Pieces that capture the drama of a stormy Cornish headland. Cards that feel like a walk on a crisp autumn morning. Hanging hearts in deep berry and woodland tones that feel made for gifting as the year winds down.
If you've followed Junk Mail Art for a while, you'll notice the new season work arriving in the shop over the coming weeks. Each piece is one-of-a-kind made entirely from upcycled magazines, no two ever quite the same.
A Note on Gifting Season
Autumn is also when I start thinking about the weeks ahead, the last posting dates, the gift wrapping, the people who've been buying from me every Christmas for years now. If you're looking for something truly unique for someone special this year, keep an eye on the new arrivals. The autumn pieces tend to go fast.
Browse the latest prints and cards in the shop and if you'd like to be first to see new work, follow along on Instagram.