Hi ! and welcome,
These are exciting times – not only welcome to my blog, but welcome to the launch of my website! Yes, its brand new and I am delighted to be able to share my paintings with you.
There is even more excitement in the air; my house is up for sale and there is the prospect of finding a new home. I currently produce my art work on the kitchen table, which is a pain when it comes to packing everything away for meal times, so the chance of finding somewhere with room to set up a permanent studio, is indeed a cause for future celebration.
I have yet to find that special place, but rest assured, it will be somewhere within Devon or Cornwall and not far from the sea or the wild moors.
My black Labrador Holly, loves the sea as much as me and is a great swimmer, so the sea or some river are a must on our frequent walks. These walks get me out and about, where much inspiration is gained for my next art project.
My most recent paintings concentrate on the sea in the north Cornwall area and feature Polzeath, the Camel estuary, Port Gaverne and Watergate Bay near Newquay. A few paintings are conceived from a collection of inspiring views and snapshots stored in my memory. Nevertheless, they portray the beauty and influence of the rugged southwest coastline.
Several of the paintings feature the effects of very wild days during the winter, when strong winds whipped the sea into wild surf with tumbling waves crashing against the rocks. “Heavy Seas at Shag Rock” (see above), “White Horses at Port Gaverne” and “Force 7 at Port Gaverne” are examples of this.
As for landscapes, there is a funny story connected to the painting, “The River Plym at Cadover Bridge”. I had taken a photograph of this scene some 12 months before committing it to canvas. Having completed the painting, I couldn’t for the life of me remember where it was. I somehow convinced myself it was on Bodmin Moor and one day, I set off to determine, once and for all, its origin.
I travelled every lane and byway crisscrossing the moor for most of a day, frustratingly with no result, when suddenly, in the middle of nowhere, I came across a chap in a bobble hat standing in a lane in a very isolated area. Goodness knows what he was doing there.
I showed him a photograph of the scene and asked if he could help. Immediately he said, “Cor you’re b*=#!X!* miles away, that’s the River Plym at Cadover Bridge, I grew up there”, he said. “It’s not on Bodmin Moor, it’s on Dartmoor, you’re at least an hour away!”
What were the chances of finding him – my hero!! – but the mystery was solved, if at the expense of considerable mileage. I now carefully note locations, but am indebted to the ‘lone ranger’.
I hope you enjoy my paintings.
Best wishes to all.
