Art Archives - Page 21 of 22

30 May 2016 In Art

The South Sands Ferry: The Harvest Reaper

To travel in a boat is a must for every visitor to Salcombe, especially the very young, and what better way to travel but on the Harvest Reaper?

The Fisher Price colours of yellow and blue make the South Sands Ferry look as if it’s popped out of a child’s toy box.

The journey from Salcombe to South Sands on the Harvest Reaper takes only 15 minutes, and then it’s the turn of the tractor to ferry the passengers ashore.

On the return journey, the prospect of driving back into the sea to await the incoming ferry, can worry some youngsters. However, any apprehension is easily forgotten with the promise of an ice cream at the end of the journey. Salcombe ice-cream is the finest!

The views each way are spectacular, along the beaches of the ria and out to sea. On a Saturday afternoon, the passengers can also take a close look at the dinghy sailors racing past.

I have painted the Harvest Reaper many times. The original of Harvest Reaper Beyond Fort Charles was sold when on exhibition at the Redfern Centre, but it’s still available as a fine art greetings card.

112 Harvest Reaper III72dpiRESIZED

Harvest Reaper II (the featured image above) and this rear view in Harvest Reaper III will be on display at my one-man show at the Little Studio in the Loft Gallery.

Harvest Reaper II is a watercolour, and Harvest Reaper III is an oil painting. Both are available as fine art greetings cards.

When is the one-man show?

My week at the Little Studio in the Loft Gallery runs until Saturday 4 June. The Loft Gallery, the home of Salcombe Art Club, is open from 11am until 5pm each day.

Where is the Loft Gallery?

The Loft Gallery is situated behind the Fortescue Inn, and above a popular shoe shop, on a delightful footpath called Victoria Quay, which overlooks one of the best views in the UK including the mooring berth of the RNLI lifeboat Baltic Exchange III.

When will I be there to greet you?

I will be stewarding at the Loft Gallery from 2pm on Saturday 4 June. I hope you see you there!

24 May 2016 In Art

Stewarding TODAY!

Today, Tuesday 24 May, I’ll be stewarding at the Loft Gallery from 2pm until 5pm.

If you expect to be in Salcombe then, please drop by and say hello!

Where is the Loft Gallery?

What is the Loft Gallery?

The Loft Gallery is the home of Salcombe Art Club and, every year since 1960, the Summer Exhibition opens at Easter and continues until the end of September.

An incredible number of visitors climb the 15 steps to view the exhibition, and more than 200 paintings are expected to be sold during the summer months. A percentage of the proceeds of each sale goes to the Art Club funds and, after expenses have been met, the club donates amounts to local charities. So, buying a painting benefits the artist, the club and the town – and provides a beautiful reminder of a visit to Salcombe. Prices range from £1 for a postcard up to £1000 – and the club now has the facility to accept payments by card, rather than ‘cash only’ as had been the practice for many years.

In the winter months, the Loft Gallery reverts to being a working studio with a full programme of workshops and classes for its members.

Who can join Salcombe Art Club?

Salcombe Art Club comprises a mix of artists: some professional artists such as those who teach our classes but also many amateurs and some very new to drawing/painting. Everyone is welcome!

Membership of Salcombe Art Cub is not limited to those living in Salcombe. Anyone within striking distance is welcome to apply for membership, but it makes most sense for those who live near enough so as to benefit from the classes in the winter, and – if they intend to become exhibiting members – to fulfil their stewarding obligations during the summer.

Step 1 is to enrol as a Lay Member – that’s the first rung of the ladder! Then Salcombe Art club has three categories of membership.

Lay members (for a subscription of £12 per annum) may take part in workshops, courses and social activities and generally assist in supporting the club but may not exhibit, nor vote at the AGM.
Associate members (for a subscription of £17 per annum) may take part in most club activities including exhibiting in the Little Studio section (but not the main gallery) of the Annual Summer Exhibition.
Full members (for a subscription of £27 per annum) may take part in all club activities and exhibit their works in the Annual Summer Exhibition when they are required to carry out their share of stewarding duties.

Who exhibits at the Loft Gallery?

Stewarding with two images Essentially, exhibiting is limited to the associate and full members of Salcombe Art Club. Full members are invited to display up to five of their works in the Summer Exhibition. This is me with some of mine:

Full – and associate – members may also book a week or more in the Little Studio. My one-man show commences on 28 May. In the Little Studio also, our teachers exhibit material of works produced by the various class groups; this inspires other club members to enrol for classes during the winter months.

How do you progress from Lay member so that you can exhibit your art at the Loft Gallery?

The selection panel meet annually (usually in February) to select from Lay members who wish to become Associate of Full members. The usual progression is to become an Associate member for a year and then on to Full membership the following year. Sometimes, the panel may decide to admit a member straight to Full membership.

For more information about Salcombe Art Club, visit their website.

Featured image: Start Point Lighthouse

The original of Start Point Lighthouse was while on display at the Loft Gallery.

However, it is available as a fine art greetings card, on sale at Bonningtons (the newsagents) and Salcombe Information Centre (both a short walk from the Loft Studio).

23 May 2016 In Art, Exhibition

One-man show in the Little Studio

My one-man show in the Little Studio, at the Loft Gallery Salcombe, starts next Sunday 29 May and runs until Saturday 4 June.

I am displaying a dozen paintings: four each of my watercolours, my acrylics and my oil paintings.

My oil paintings on display will be Dappled Light III, Harvest Reaper II, Harvest Reaper III, and Sunlight Across the Bar.

The watercolours are: Ebb Tide at Batson Creek, Hope Cove Fishing Gear, Low Tide at East Portlemouth, and Reflections at Batson.

And the acrylic paintings are Dawn at South Pool Creek, Paddling at Burgh Island, Shifting Sands at Burgh Island I, and The Church at St Peter, Buckland Tout Saints.

Where is the Loft Gallery?

When will I be there to greet you?

I will be stewarding at the Loft Gallery all day on Sunday 29 May and from 2pm on Saturday 4 June. I hope you see you there!

Can’t afford to buy my paintings!

Nearly all of the images on sale in my one-man exhibition are also available as fine art greetings cards. Only a short distance from the Loft Gallery, you have the choice of buying these ‘man cards’ at Bonningtons, the newsagents, or at Salcombe Information Centre.

16 May 2016 In Art

Batson views

In my one-man show in the Little Studio of the Loft Gallery, three images of Batson will be on display.

094 Ebb tide at Batson72dpiResized As you walk the short distance from Salcombe to Batson, you’ll see the view that inspired me to try to capture this idyllic setting. Ebb Tide at Batson Creek leaves moored craft on the mud bathed in warm sunlight near an old boat house sheltered by trees. Isn’t it beautiful?

096 Reflections at Batson72dpiRESIZEDSquare At the top of Batson Creek, a collection of thatched cottages delight the eye. They sit around a triangle of grass complete with its old-fashioned telephone box. (At least, the phone box was there, the last time I visited!) The reflections of these cottages in the water only serve to enhance the tranquility of the scene, and this inspired me to paint Reflections at Batson.

If you continue to walk, up and around to the right, towards Snapes Manor, you’ll discover a small beach. Dappled Light III (the featured image far above) shows a stranded boat under the shadow of trees waiting for another tide while the sunlight leaks through the canopy above, creating dappled patterns on both the beach and the boat.

I produced three versions of Dappled Light: a watercolour, an acrylic and this one in oil. Each presented different challenges. The other two are sold already, although Dappled Light I is available as a fine art greetings card, as are Reflections at Batson, and Ebb Tide at Batson Creek.

If you visit the show, and like these paintings but can’t afford the originals, the cards are on sale nearby: at Bonningtons, the newsagents, and at the Salcombe Information Centre, and elsewhere too.

When is the show?

My week at the Little Studio in the Loft Gallery is from Sunday 29 May until Saturday 4 June. The Loft Gallery, the home of Salcombe Art Club, is open from 11am until 5pm each day.

Where is the Loft Gallery?

When will I be there to greet you?

I will be stewarding at the Loft Gallery all day on Sunday 29 May and from 2pm on Saturday 4 June. I hope you see you there!

9 May 2016 In Art

Stewarding at The Loft Gallery: 11am-5pm Tuesday 10 May 2016

Tomorrow, Tuesday 10 May, I’ll be stewarding at the Loft Gallery from 11am until 5pm.

If you expect to be in Salcombe then, please drop by and say hello!

Where is the Loft Gallery?

What is the Loft Gallery?

The Loft Gallery is the home of Salcombe Art Club and, every year since 1960, the Summer Exhibition opens at Easter and continues until the end of September.

In the winter months, the Loft Gallery reverts to being a working studio with a full programme of workshops and classes for its members.

Who can join Salcombe Art Club?

Salcombe Art Club comprises a mix of artists: some professional artists such as those who teach our classes but also many amateurs and some very new to drawing/painting. Everyone is welcome!

Step 1 is to enrol as a Lay Member – that’s the first rung of the ladder! Then Salcombe Art club has three categories of membership.

Lay members (for a subscription of £12 per annum) may take part in workshops, courses and social activities and generally assist in supporting the club but may not exhibit, nor vote at the AGM.
Associate members (for a subscription of £17 per annum) may take part in most club activities including exhibiting in the Little Studio section (but not the main gallery) of the Annual Summer Exhibition.
Full members (for a subscription of £27 per annum) may take part in all club activities and exhibit their works in the Annual Summer Exhibition when they are required to carry out their share of stewarding duties.

Who exhibits at the Loft Gallery?

How do you progress from Lay member so that you can exhibit your art at the Loft Gallery?

For more information about Salcombe Art Club, visit their website.

Featured image: Baltic Exchange III

The original of Baltic Exchange III was sold to a Japanese visitor to the Loft Gallery in 2010. It is available as a limited edition print and is very popular as a fine art greetings card, on sale at Bonningtons (the newsagents) and Salcombe Information Centre (both a short walk from the Loft Studio), and also at Salcombe Yacht Club, and Malborough Post Office, and at the Gallery Project at Avon Mill, or direct from Beacon House Gallery.

2 May 2016 In Art

Sketchbook Notes: South Pool Sunrise

This is the view from my studio and it often ruins my concentration, not just with its beauty but also by the speed it changes through the day.

Indeed, the new day’s light arrives so very fast, I have to use my camera to capture the evolving intensity of light and shade that play around this arena we call an estuary. There is no time to sketch it!

So, this is my original photo:

SouthPoolResource

You can see how I folded the printed page to create a square shape. Anne has encouraged me to think ‘square’ as this makes it so much easier for her when the time comes for us to select the next batch of designs for my range of fine art greetings cards!

Comparing this photo with the finished painting, I lightened the whole image, choosing colours which brought it to life: awakened it, literally. I found oil paints a delight when it came to blending the bursting sunshine dissolving an early morning mist.

The rising sun is Titanium White. The early morning mist and its reflections are largely blended Naples Yellow, minute dabs of Lemon Yellow Hue, plus Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Orange, all lightened with Titanium White. A pale shade of Alizarin Crimson has been applied to warm the distant far-off parts of the estuary, together with a hint of Mauve Blue Shade to mark the hillside.

Where can you see this painting?

South Pool Sunrise is on display at Salcombe Art Club in the Main Exhibition, along with four more of my paintings: Hope Cove, Merlins, Scoble Point Moorings, and Splosh of Frogmore.

The Exhibition is open every day from 11am until 5pm, until 24 September.

I will be at the Exhibition, stewarding, on these dates: 10 May (11am-5pm), 24 May (2-5pm), 14 June (2-5pm), 12 July (2-5pm), 9 August (2-5pm), and 20 September (11am-2pm).

If you are in Salcombe this summer, why not drop in?

The Sketchbook Notes series

This is one of the Sketchbook Notes, a series of posts explaining what inspired me to produce a particular painting.

If you own one of my paintings or are just curious about an image, let me know; I’ll then write a blog post especially for you!

25 April 2016 In Art, Sketchbook note

Sketchbook Notes: Scoble Point Moorings

From Easter and onwards through the Summer, in the late afternoon, a strong clear light strikes this part of the Salcombe estuary. The red and white hulls appear to radiate their colours more intensely until the sun drops below the skyline.

Even the mooring buoys know the day is done and the moon will bring another tide.

This is my initial sketch for Scoble Point Moorings.

ScoblePointMooringsResource

Why bother with a sketch?

While a photograph can capture everything, that’s too much information. I need to frame the subject and to simplify what might have been a busy scene. Which craft will I include? Which should I leave out?

Sketching is therefore essential. It enables me to distill the principle points of interest and to identify the tonal areas of the composition and rebalance as necessary.

The sketchbook also serves as a diary, along with my iPad on which I take photos and, of course, my camera. I am grateful the software remembers when and where I take my photos.

So, with the various source materials in front of me and the sketchbook open, foremost in my mind is the tip: ‘look twice, draw once’. Sketching teaches you to watch! It teaches you to aim for brevity.

ScoblePointMooringsResource2

Notice that, in the final composition, I have rearranged the positioning of the various craft, but I took great care to plot the mooring buoys as shown on this photo of my original notes.

And, although my sketch was in watercolour, I decided to using oil paints for this subject – and what was a fascinating journey that was for me.

Where can you see this painting?

Scoble Point Moorings is on display at Salcombe Art Club in the Main Exhibition, along with four more of my paintings: Hope Cove, Merlins, South Pool Sunrise and Splosh of Frogmore.

The Exhibition is open every day from 11am until 5pm, until 24 September.

I will be at the Exhibition, stewarding, on these dates: 10 May (11am-5pm), 24 May (2-5pm), 14 June (2-5pm), 12 July (2-5pm), 9 August (2-5pm), and 20 September (11am-2pm).

If you are in Salcombe this summer, why not drop in?

The Sketchbook Notes series

This is one of the Sketchbook Notes, a series of posts explaining what inspired me to produce a particular painting.

If you own one of my paintings, or are just curious about an image, let me know; I’ll then write a blog post especially for you!

18 April 2016 In Art

Sketchbook Notes: Merlins

The classic Merlin Rocket carries a two-man (or lady!) crew and has enjoyed a long relationship with Salcombe Yacht Club and the challenging waters of Salcombe Estuary.

I have never helmed, or crewed, this high-performance dinghy. The Merlin sailors love a stiff breeze and to launch their brightly coloured spinnakers when the wind angle permits. They appear to ‘charge’ along, rather than passively sail.

Comparing my source photograph with the finished painting, you’ll maybe notice a number of changes I made to the composition. Merlins

I positioned the shoreline midway, losing much of the foreground water, and brought the choppy water into sharper focus. I also smudged the detail on the beach, so that the sails were given greater emphasis. Last but not least, I added a touch of red, with a buoy, positioned bottom right.

I had great fun with this painting, trying to capture the movement of the Merlins across the estuary and the excitement of their race. And yes, I love to photo the Merlin sailors’ antics; if I blink, I’m sure to miss a dramatic capsize!

The next opportunity to see this fleet – over 100 competitors – in full sail is during Merlin Rocket Week, 10-15 July 2016.

Where can you see this painting?

Merlins is on display at Salcombe Art Club in the Main Exhibition, along with four more of my paintings: Hope Cove, Scoble Point Moorings, South Pool Sunrise and Splosh of Frogmore.

The Exhibition is open every day from 11am until 5pm, until 24 September.

I will be at the Exhibition, stewarding, on these dates: 19 April (2-5pm), 10 May (11am-5pm), 24 May (2-5pm), 14 June (2-5pm), 12 July (2-5pm), 9 August (2-5pm), and 20 September (11am-2pm).

If you are in Salcombe this summer, why not drop in?

The Sketchbook Notes series

This is one of the Sketchbook Notes, a series of posts explaining what inspired me to produce a particular painting.

If you own one of my paintings, or are just curious about an image, let me know; I’ll then write a blog post especially for you!

11 April 2016 In Art, Sketchbook note

Sketchbook Notes: Splosh of Frogmore

Frogmore is some miles away from Salcombe, beyond Kingsbridge by road. By boat, with the right tide, it is a magical short voyage from Salcombe through beautiful countryside.

Splosh is real, tied up near a little bridge. The faded coloured roundels show Splosh has had many years of service in Salcombe Harbour.

The day I was passing by, the egret was fishing in the stream, competing with dancing reflections of Splosh.

Splosh source image - egret 2

I took more and more photos, to capture greater and greater detail.

Splosh source image - egret

Notice that, in my composition, I moved the egret. My regret is on the right, looking towards Splosh.

I also used my artistic license and left some things out. Can you tell what, and can you imagine why?

I don’t know who owns Splosh. If you do, let me know. I’d be fascinated to find out more about the L in SPLOSH, and the history of this particular boat.

Where can you see this painting?

Splosh of Frogmore is on display at Salcombe Art Club in the Main Exhibition, along with four more of my paintings: Hope Cove, Merlins, Scoble Point Moorings, and South Pool Sunrise.

The Exhibition is open every day from 11am until 5pm, until 24 September.

I will be at the Exhibition, stewarding, on these dates: 19 April (2-5pm), 10 May (11am-5pm), 24 May (2-5pm), 14 June (2-5pm), 12 July (2-5pm), 9 August (2-5pm), and 20 September (11am-2pm).

If you are in Salcombe this summer, why not drop in?

The Sketchbook Notes series

This is the first of the Sketchbook Notes, a series of posts explaining what inspired me to produce a particular painting.

If you own one of my paintings, or are just curious about an image, let me know; I’ll then write a blog post especially for you!

5 March 2016 In Art

Fine Art Greetings Cards

Of the 120+ original paintings completed in the past five years, 52 of my images have been reproduced as fine art greetings cards.

You can purchase the cards, by arrangement, direct from me: £1.95 each or £5 for any three designs, and even cheaper for larger quantities.

The cards are also available in local outlets.

Salcombe Yacht Club has two designs: 033/06 Baltic Exchange III and 050/17 Salcombe Yacht Club
Salcombe Information Centre stocks about half of the range.
Malborough Post Office offers the entire range.