Trip in Cornwall 2013 - Part 2

Here is the second post about my recent trip in Cornwall as a part of the Bath Prize 2012 (click here to view the first post). As I was staying in Porthleven, I took the chance to go back to Marizion beach and paint again St Michael's Mount (I painted at the same spot on a previous Cornwall trip). It was a lovely sunny day with enough clouds to give some drama to the compositions. I did 3 paintings on the day. 

The first painting below was painted from a little viewpoint just off the road. The lovely blues in the sky and purple/blues/greens in the water were begging to be painted:

St Michael's Mount from the coast, Marizion  9"x12"  oil on board

Below you can see my setting. It think it is some kind of viewpoint where people can stop the car and take photographs. Some people popped by and I made myself useful by taking pictures of couples standing in front of the Mount. I could almost have started a business there and charge people for it but then I remembered I had a painting to do :-)

As I was painting, someone asked me if I was there to paint the Queen. (??) Apparently, she was coming 2 days later to visit the castle on St Michael's Mount!  Unfortunately, I was there only for the day, so the Queen and I will have to reschedule a painting session at an other time...

Again, the lazy me found a convenient place to sit as there was a concrete bench. I could just see above the railing so it didn't actually obstruct my view like it does on the photograph.

As usual, I kept the brushstrokes lose and included the minimum amount of details possible to try to capture the essence of the place:

Detail

Detail2

After a lovely lunch with my mum at Ben's Cornish Kitchen (I told you my mum was good at feeding me between paintings!), I set up on the beach to capture the changing tide and moody sky: 

Marazion beach, Cornwall - sun between the clouds  16"x9"  oil on board

I really enjoyed doing this painting and getting my fix of fresh seaside air!

The painting towards the end

The sea had some lovely turquoise and green colours in it and the water was very sparkly when the sun came out:

Detail

Finally, I did a last little study of St Michael's Mount from the beach (see below). I loved the way the blue sky was piercing through the grey clouds and how the puddles of water on the sand are reflecting the colours of the sky. I know that we can moan a lot about the weather here in England, and probably only get about a week worth of summer, but to me, it offers the most beautiful moody skies and is a paradise for painters!

St Michael's Mount from Marazion beach, Penzance  7"x10"  oil on board

Talking about summer, you can see my stylish summer look below as I was being snapped by a paparazzi from behind the dunes! 

The painting towards the end

Adding the final touches...

Detail

That was my last painting of the trip as we had to head back the following day. Here are some pictures taken of Porthleven that evening bathed in the evening sun. I didn't get the chance to paint it on such a nice sunny light but might consider doing some studio works from it:

Porthleven harbour

My mum enjoying the views

Boats on the harbour

Beautiful typical english houses in the evening sunshine

Most of my Porthleven and Cornwall paintings will be on show and for sale at the end of June at the Guildhall Arts Centre in Bristol  (BS1 2HL) as a part of the show "Inspired" - showcasing around 600 paintings, sculptures and works of Art, which precedes the Bristol Prize 2013. More info will follow.

Trip in Cornwall 2013 - Part 1

I just got back a couple of weeks ago from a painting trip in Porthleven in Cornwall. This trip was the prize I won last year when I received The Plein Air prize during the Bath Prize 2012 competition. Two other painters - Peter Nance and Ben Hughes - won the same prize and we all had a wonderful inspiring time. My "+1" guest was my mum, who enjoyed visiting local gardens while I was painting (she is a gardening journalist in Belgium). She was back in time everyday to feed me and carry my kit, the perfect assistant!

Here are below the paintings I did in Porthleven where we were staying at:

Boats at low tide, Porthleven harbour   10"x8"  oil on board

For this painting, I sat down on the steps leading to the harbour during the low tide. What caught my eye was the combination of the bright colours of the boats and the lovely grey muddy puddles on the sand. I was all set up and ready to start when I realised I forgot my brushes at the apartment so I had to pack up and fetch them before setting up again. But it was worth it as I really enjoyed painting this one.

The painting in progress

Detail

Detail

The painting below is the classic view of the harbour with the church in the background. The weather was quite cloudy but still with a bright light which made the white boats and houses stand out:

Porthleven harbour in the afternoon   16"x9"  oil on board

Why stand up while you can comfortably sit on a bench?

I soon realised that the bench I was sitting on was right next to the bus stop, as I had the chance to chat with various local people waiting for the bus and telling me all about how the place was 50 years ago, and how late the bus was. I must say all the people I met during this trip were so nice and welcoming.  

The painting towards the end

Detail

This painting below was done on a miserable rainy day. I couldn't face going out of the apartment and shamelessly spent all morning watching "The curious case of Benjamin Button" on TV. I forced myself to get out in the afternoon and found shelter in the covered empty fish market place. I did this little painting below:  

Porthleven harbour on a grey day   10"x8"  oil on board

The painting towards the end

Detail

Once I got home I got the lovely surprise to notice that my bags - which you can see on the floor below - caught the fish smell from the wet floor they were sitting on. Always nice to bring a little souvenir back home.

Seeing me wrapped up like this, you wouldn't think it was May!

The  painting in progress

Detail

The painting below was actually the first one I did on my arrival at Porthleven. And I must admit it was probably my toughest plein air experience so far! 

Porthleven coast on a windy day   14"x11"   oil on board

I set up on the edge of the cliff alongside the coast. It was a VERY windy day and I struggled to find any shelter. I was wrapped up like someone who would dress for a North Pole exhibition but was still feeling the cold wind. The dramas in order were: 1. my medium had completely leaked in my bag; 2. my chair broke and I fell on the floor; 3. It started raining and got my umbrella out but it broke because of the wind; 4. my painting started to get ruined because of the heavy rain. 

If a painting was to be priced by the effort you went through to produce it, then this one surely is worth a couple of million pounds!

I actually had to finish it in the studio because the conditions didn't let me finish on the spot.

The view from where I was sitting

Detail

I'll post soon my 3 last paintings of the trip, done in Marazion, near St Michael's Mount, where I was blessed with beautiful weather.

Mevagissey harbour

Here is a studio painting done for a commission a couple of months ago. A colleague of mine asked me to paint the harbour of Mevagissey (Cornwall) so she could give the painting as a present to her husband for his 40th birthday, as this is his favourite place. She gave it to him on his birthday as they were spending holiday in Mevagissey and he was really happy with it, which is great news.

Mevagissey harbour  12"x9"  oil on board

I loved the focal point of the bright white boats and the softer purple tints made by the buildings in the background:

detail

I found the reflections in the water particularly fun to paint:

detail 2

Here is below the picture of my colleague's husband, Garth, which their son George, posing at the very same spot during their holiday in Mevagissey shortly after having received the painting:

Bath views from Oldfield Park

Here are a couple of winter scenes I painted just around the corner from where I live. I'm loving those views over Bath and the warm and cool tones of winter landscapes.

Bath views from Oldfield Park   12"x10"  oil on board 

The painting above was done in a local playground but there was hardly anybody around because it was such a cold day. I picked a composition that included the views, the trees, the foreground grass and the swirly path that leads the eye of the viewer.

It was a beautiful sunny day but every now and then a big cloud would cast a shadow on the distant views of the city so I decided to "freeze" this moment on my painting: 

detail

I like the idea that small parts of my paintings can be treated as abstract work:

detail

Below is painting done on an other day on the top of my street. This is the same view as one of my snow painting if you remember (click here to see it). 

Bath views from the top of Ivy avenue  16"x9"  oil on board

There was a lovely pink light and the houses in the distance in Bath stone really caught the sunlight. I was really cold when I painted this and at some point towards the end I couldn't carry on so I rushed back home and added the last details from memory from the warmth of my studio...

detail

Impressions of Venice opening night

Last Friday I went to the private viewing of the Venice show "Impressions of Venice" at the Mine Gallery in Carshalton, London. I had a great time. It is a beautiful show and I'm very proud to be a part of it. Here are all the details about the show which will run until the end of March:

http://www.mineonline.co.uk/impressions_of_venice.php

All paintings are for sale and can be viewed on the online catalogue in the link below:

http://www.mineonline.co.uk/resources/VeniceAtMine.pdf

Here are some pictures of the evening:

Karl Terry's large painting stands beautifully in the middle of the wall arrangement 

Me and my mum who accompanied me to the evening 

Some of my paintings

And some more

Tim King in front of his masterpieces

Andrew Candy from the Mine Gallery chatting with Tim and I  

Lovely work from David Bachmann on the left and John Stillman on the right

Chatting with the painter Paul Aps -
we knew each other from Facebook but it was the first time we met for real!

In great conversation with the painter John Stillman
and Art lover Wiesia Janina Cook-Bownas

Lovely paintings from Haidee-Jo Summers

Mixed work from John Stillman, myself and others

I loved this painting at the top from Derek Daniells

I loved the nocturne at the bottom by Roy Connelly

To finish this post, here is a great video done by fellow painter Roy Connelly who was in Venice last November with us and put together this film to show what a great trip it was. It comes from his blog www.royconnelly.com/blog and he kindly let me use it here.

Artists on the film that are in the show are:
David Bachmann
Roy Connelly
Tony Dakin
Tim King
Valérie Pirlot
Michael Richardson
Haidee-Jo Summers
Karl Terry