Hi, I’m Tabitha Osborne-Fox, Founder & Artist of FoxSea Art.
Growing up by the ocean bouncing between Woolacombe in Devon and Harlyn Bay in Cornwall I have always been fascinated by the natural beauty of the sea. I quickly got into Bodyboarding and Surfing and it turned out I was pretty good at it. In my late teens and early twenties, I picked up sponsors for Bodyboarding and became British Female Bodyboarding Champion. I then went onto getting an England Cap, Bodyboarding for my country at the European Surf Championships. A few years later I then came 2nd in the world in the Female World BellyBoard Championships.
Thanks to my Bodyboarding sponsors I have been lucky enough to travel and surf the world which has inspired my art. I studied Art A-level and I have always painted the ocean and sketched coastlines; however, it is only recently I have found and fallen in love with resin.
Turning a Negative into a Positive from COVID-19
I’ve been living and working in London for the last 6 years and sadly, due to COVID-19 I lost my job at the start of lockdown. In this bizarre time, as always, I was focussed on turning a negative into a positive. I saw some resin art and thought, ‘I’d love to be able to do that’, so I paused, thought about it, and said to my husband, Patrick “I’m going to learn!” Given I couldn’t go anywhere due to lockdown I figured I have been given the gift of time, so let’s learn!
Working with Resin
I started my resin journey on the 27th April 2020. In two and a half months I have been excited, frustrated, fascinated, in love, overwhelmed, uncertain and completely fixated. I’ve spent hours in my make-shift studio in our little house in London understanding and perfecting the art of resin and woodwork. It made sense for me to specialise in ocean art and when I got to grips with resin and what I thought would be a hobby, within a month I decided to make it into a side business (hopefully one day full-time) and create a brand.
The Story Behind the Name ‘FoxSea’
With the last name of Fox (now married, Osborne-Fox) my Dad who is also an ocean lover and charges on a Bellyboard, came up with the name FoxSea about 10 years ago and suggested I went into custom Bodyboards. At the time I couldn’t see myself doing that, but as lots of my friends call me “Foxy”, I loved the name, so I held onto it.
I knew I wanted my logo to look like a wave, so on a sunny Sunday afternoon my husband and I during lockdown sketched up over 200 different logos with a bottle of rosé between us in our garden. A few friends and family helped us whittle it down to a couple of options which I digitalised and refined, landing me with what is now my logo.
The tagline was easy, I wanted to connect the three places which have shaped and inspired me and my brand: Devon, Cornwall and London. So one early morning when I was walking through Brockwell Park to pick up a coffee it came to me: Discovered in Devon, Inspired in Cornwall, Handmade in London.
My Products
Since launching my brand I’ve been getting more and more interest, and custom orders are flying. My friends and family have been so supportive, my Mum has been my biggest fan, batting ideas back and forth with her. I started with coasters, then moved to artwork, followed by bamboo serving platters, then into kitchen jars and my portfolio keeps expanding week by week.
What I love about my work is it really does look like the glassy ocean on a summers day. The way the light reflects off the shining surface really makes the colours pop and as I layer my products each section has a different depth of the ocean to it.
Portobello Road Market
As a fresh art & homewares brand, I’m really trying to raise my profile and get my name out there. I recently got accepted into Portobello Road Market in Nottinghill which I cannot believe! It was such a fun day and I was overwhelmed by the kind response of people and now new customers.
Get in Touch and Help Spread my Story
If you, or anyone else you know loves the sea and would like a little splash of the ocean in their home, do get in touch: [email protected].
I have a shop on Etsy (www.etsy.com/uk/shop/FoxSeaArt), but I have a lot more stock than what is available online.
I also don’t charge any extra for custom or commissioned orders. I can do any size, colours etc., so drop me a line and we can chat about what you’re after. I send everything gift wrapped so let me know if it’s for someone special.
Thank you for reading about my journey. Give us a like on my page, follow me on Instagram @FoxSeaArt and let me know what you think.
Thank you for your support.
Tabitha Osborne-Fox
Founder & Artist, FoxSeaArt
