Wave Migration is an intimate portrait of 14 people who are part of a growing community of nearly 40 surfers who live on the Isle of Lewis – the biggest Island in the Outer Hebrides off the North West coast of Scotland. Some were born here, but the majority were drawn to the islands by the waves and the way of life. 

Painter, screen printer, teacher and surfer Laura Maynard tells their stories through large mixed media diptychs. Her portraits are rugged studies of each surfer and their favourite surf break. She layers her work with subtle symbols that hint at key moments, places or events in these men and women’s lives: the stories that have led them to stay or settle on Lewis and make the wild Atlantic coastline, cold water surf and close-knit surf community their home.

Each painting is a life story. But as a body of work Wave Migration shines a light on a positive new island subculture. A group of independently minded, family-focused individuals who make surfing and being at the coast a priority – pursuing a work-life balance that is so difficult to achieve in today’s world.