Brixham’s Red Earth

This summer, young artists across Torbay have been getting their hands dirty — quite literally — as part of Brixham’s Red Earth, a Daisi heritage arts project led by artist Claire Jo Harmer.

From local schools and home ed settings to public workshops at the Pirate Festival and Torre Abbey, participants have been discovering the incredible story of Brixham’s ochre-rich geology and its impact on local and global history.

What makes Brixham’s earth so special? Around 280 million years ago, the area was a scorching desert, and over time, the iron in the soil oxidised, creating rich seams of red ochre. By the 1800s, this mineral pigment was being mined and processed locally to create rust-proof paint used on trawler sails, iron bridges and even ships overseas. Brixham’s vibrant red sails became iconic — and the pigment behind them had deep roots in the landscape itself.

Claire undertook extensive research into the history and techniques of pigment-making, learning from experts so she could share the process with local children. Workshop participants made their own ochre pigment from raw clay and earth, then turned it into paint by hand — recreating the very process used over 150 years ago in Brixham’s Iron Paint Works at Oxen Cove.

Through storytelling, art, and hands-on heritage craft, young people are creating a collaborative collage celebrating Brixham’s past — and the geology beneath their feet.  Small canvas paintings created at the workshops will be used to create a large sail for exhibition at Kickstart Arts and Brixham Museum over the summer.