The Artist
OceanFormed is the work of Matthew Haysom — a lifelong coastal dweller, trained artist, and former digital creative director who returned to making art with his hands.
The Beginning
After studying Art & Design and spending fifteen years as a digital artist and creative director, something was missing. The screens got bigger, the briefs got faster, but the connection to making — real, physical making — had quietly disappeared.
It started with a walk. The same stretch of coastline Matthew had known since childhood, but this time he noticed the sea glass differently. Not as debris, but as material — shaped, smoothed, and coloured by decades of tide. Every piece had a history. Every fragment was already halfway to being art.
OceanFormed began that afternoon. A handful of sea glass, a sketch pad, and an idea that the ocean had been making art long before any of us picked up a brush.
"I collect what the sea no longer needs and turn it into something worth keeping."
Philosophy
Every artwork begins with what the sea provides. I don't cut, polish, or alter the materials — the shapes, colours, and textures are exactly as the ocean left them. My role is to see the story hiding inside each piece and bring it to life through composition, illustration, and framing.
The result is art that feels both found and made. Natural but intentional. A collaboration between the tide and the hand.
The Craft
In a world saturated with AI-generated imagery and mass-produced décor, OceanFormed is a deliberate step in the other direction. Every piece is made entirely by hand — no two are alike, no shortcuts, no reproductions.
This is art you can feel a person behind. The slight imperfections, the choices in placement, the time spent waiting for the right piece of glass to arrive on the right tide. That's what makes it real.
What We Stand For
01
All materials are ethically sourced from the shoreline. Nothing is harvested, purchased, or artificially aged. The ocean provides — we listen.
02
Every piece is genuinely unique. No moulds, no prints, no editions. When a piece is sold, it's gone — there will never be another exactly like it.
03
We don't make things to match your sofa. Each artwork tells a story — sometimes playful, sometimes poetic — but always with a narrative at its heart.
Let's Work Together
Whether you're looking for a piece from the gallery, a bespoke commission for your home, or a collaboration for a commercial space — I'd love to hear from you.