Art Archives - Page 20 of 22

25 July 2016 In Art

Going, going, gone! Sold …

In the past week, I’ve sold three paintings. Going, going, gone! Sold!

The first was Sunlight on Avon River, a watercolour, and one of the few of mine to be predominantly green.

There is water, as ever, but it’s not blue, and there’s no blue sky. And no sailing craft in sight … or seagulls …

This painting has graced the walls of Beacon House Gallery for some time now. Painted in 2012, it will be missed.

The second sale was Dawn at South Pool Creek, an acrylic painting of the view from my studio window.

It’s rare for me to be up so early. I am a night owl and enjoy sleeping late. However, my wife, Anne, is always up before dawn and, if it’s an especially beautiful one, she will wake me. I take photos and go back to bed, and she goes back to her computer.

Last but not least to be sold: Paddling at Burgh Island – a painting which captures one sunny day when Anne and I visited her friend, Sheila, and we walked across from her house to Burgh Island.

Like many of my paintings, Dawn at South Pool Creek and Paddling at Burgh Island are available as fine art greetings cards.

When the original is not square, the card image is created by cropping – and you can be seen the difference between the two if you compare the featured image (far above) with that shown immediately above. I decided to focus on the two lady paddlers and the island and to lose some of the left-hand part of the image.

AFFORDABLE ART

You may be surprised to know that 52 of the 127 original paintings I’ve created to date are available as a fine art greetings card.

For less than 1% of the sales price of an original, you can invest in a card. Send it to a friend or frame it for yourself. Whistlefish sell frames that fit… about £10 each.

Where can you buy my cards?

The complete range of cards is available at Malborough Post Office. View while you queue!

bloomers-florist-of-knigsbridge-shop-front Bonningtons (the newsagents) and Salcombe Information Centre are both a short walk from the Loft Studio and stock a range of cards.

Cards are also on sale at The Gallery Project (at Avon Mill and in Noss Mayo), and at Salcombe Yacht Club.

If you are visiting Kingsbridge, our newest stockist is Bloomers, the florists, 37 Fore Street (about half way up the hill!).

24 July 2016 In Art

Supporting Salcombe Regatta: Island St on 31 July + Whitestrand on 1 Aug

This time next week, I’ll be setting up my stall in support of Salcombe Regatta.

When?

10am until 6pm on Sunday 31 July

Where?

Island Street, Salcombe

WHAT WILL I BE Selling?

My fine art greetings cards

How much are the cards?

£2 each or 3 for a fiver

AND

I will also have a stall in Whitestrand on Monday 1 August from 9am until 5pm. See you there!

18 July 2016 In Art, Exhibition

Exhibition: Sunday 24 July – Saturday 6 August

Right now, the Loft Gallery is home to the Salcombe Art Club Summer Exhibition.

What happens when the Summer Exhibition ends?

When this annual exhibition ends, late in September, the unsold paintings are wrapped and removed by the artists, and the display boards are stored in the roof space. The trestle tables and easels are retrieved, and the Loft Gallery reverts to its winter role: a busy working space for the members of Salcombe Art Club.

A packed programme of art classes commences for all categories of member: lay, associate and full. These tutored classes – in drawing and painting (watercolour, acrylic and oil) – continue through the winter months until next Easter when the next Summer Exhibition opens.

Then, by way of a reward and in recognition of their hard work, the masterpieces of the artists who attended the various classes are displayed in the Little Studio.

Ian Carr’s oil class exhibition: Sunday 24 July until Saturday 24 August

Starting Sunday 24 July – for a fortnight – it’s the turn of Ian Carr’s oil class to show their work. I’ll have four paintings on display, as well as those already on display in the main exhibition.

Sunlight Across the Bar (featured above) is one of the few paintings that I’ve produced using a box canvas, 16 by 16 inches. This style of presentation is considered to be more modern than the traditional ‘framed, and often behind glass’ which predominates the Loft Gallery. The other three paintings are all traditionally framed and will be familiar to my blog readers.

Dappled Light III was on display in my one-man exhibition earlier this year.

Harvest Reaper II was also on display in my one-man exhibition and was featured in a blog entry focusing on the South Sands Ferry.

The Burgh Island Hotel featured in a Sketchbook Note on 11 July.The sales price for these four oil paintings ranges from £350 to £400.

AFFORDABLE ART

For less than 1% of the sales price of an original oil, all four images, and many others, are available as a fine art greetings card, at Bonningtons (the newsagents) and Salcombe Information Centre (both a short walk from the Loft Studio).

The complete range of cards is available at Malborough Post Office and, if you are visiting Kingsbridge, our newest stockist is Bloomers, the florists, 37 Fore Street (about half way up the hill!).

11 July 2016 In Art

Sketchbook Notes: Burgh Island

Burgh Island is a popular attraction to visitors and, especially, artists.

I have painted the hotel many times!

The iconic Art Deco Hotel dominates Burgh Island. It was owned and managed for many years by Tony Porter and his wife Beatrice. Tony called it the Great White Palace and it has featured in many films and television dramas based on Agatha Christie novels.

120 Shifting Sands at Burgh Island I72dpiRESIZED Shifting Sands at Burgh Island I is an acrylic painting. In the sky, I included a vapour trail to remind me of a recent flight from Gatwick to Malta. For some reason, the pilot chose to go west before turning south. Seeing this spectacular coastline from the air was a magical experience.

Shifting Sands at Burgh Island I draws particular attention to the dramatic cliffs. Also clear in this image is that the Island is set apart from the mainland by a strip of sand, only visible at low tide. When the sea is in full tide, the sea tractor ferries the visitors to and fro and there is a continuous clamour of sound from waves and gulls.

114 Paddling at Burgh Island72dpiRESIZED The beach provides a lovely walk or, better, a paddle in the cool water of spent surf. Paddling at Burgh Island, another acrylic painting, captures the joy of such a stroll by my wife, Anne, and her friend, Sheila. I recall we made our way across to the island and enjoyed a beverage in the pub, The Pilchard Inn.

My most recent painting of the hotel is in oil. The Burgh Island Hotel, featured far above, will be on display at the Loft Gallery, Salcombe, in the exhibition to showcase the work of students of Ian Carr’s oil classes. The two-week exhibition opens on Saturday 23 July.

Most artists prefer the view as seen from Bigbury but I have attempted to capture the subject as seen from Hope Cove. The massive cliffs of the mainland give a dramatic backdrop, while the rocks in the foreground underline its isolation. And, the late afternoon sun turns the Great White Palace into a glorious white beacon.

AFFORDABLE ART

All three images are available as a fine art greetings card, and you may purchase them at Bonningtons (the newsagents) and Salcombe Information Centre (both a short walk from the Loft Studio). Further afield, my cards are stocked by Malborough Post Office, The Gallery Project at Avon Mill and at Noss Mayo, and in Bloomers, the florist in Kingsbridge.

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!

4 July 2016 In Art, Sketchbook note

Sketchbook Notes: Hope Cove

The village of Hope Cove and its beaches are protected by a line of dramatic rocks and sea walls, and the local fishing boats are moored to a series of chains which lead the eye to the sea. The cove is always busy with holidaymakers and fishermen.

Hope Cove is a perfect subject for an artist?

Yes, but fishermen and sailors are quick to notice detail. If I get something wrong, then, in their opinion, my painting loses credibility. So, before I start any new painting, I gather lots of photographic images to help me to meet with their expectations.

Initially, I am thinking about what perspective I’ll use, and how much of the scene to include in my composition.

HopeCovePhoto1 HopeCovePhoto2

Then I might focus in on the rigging and equipment aboard a particular craft or a detail on the beach.

HopeCovePhoto4 HopeCovePhoto3

Crab pots: old and new

The contemporary crab pot is constructed with man-made materials as a crate with a hatch. They are stacked while on the fishing boats, until launched overboard in strings of pots. So, they have to be strong and durable.
The traditional style of crab pot is constructed from beautiful withy (pliable branches or twigs from willow). Although they are far more attractive to the eye, they are not as strong as the contemporary pots.

Looking at my notes for the Hope Cove painting, I see I have more than ten pages of supporting information. I recall how, in designing my composition, I decided I wanted to show both types of crab pot – old and new.

Crab pot maker: Sue Morgan

Thanks to Sue Morgan, my neighbouring stallholder at last year’s Hope Cove Lifeboat Fundraising Day, I became aware of the skill required to make a crab pot from willow. I decided to capture her skills in my painting as a tribute to Hope Cove’s history.

This photograph of Sue appeared in an article written by Lucy Flatman and published in Devon Life in April 2015. Lucy also posted a blog item about this article. I am grateful to Lucy for giving permission for her photo of Sue, with her crab pot, to be reproduced here.

At last: a card for Hope Cove!

Also, as further motivation for producing this painting, I have to thank everyone who came to the Fundraising Day to buy my cards and asked ‘Do you have any of Hope Cove?’. Until now, I’ve had to say ‘no’. In 2016, the answer is: ‘Yes!’

Over the past few years, my wife, Anne, and I have supported the Hope Cove Lifeboat Fundraising day. We very much look forward to supporting this event again this year.

When is the Hope Cove Fundraising Day?

Thursday 4 August

Where is the Hope Cove Fundraising Day?

The Cottage Hotel

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!

28 June 2016 In Art

Stewarding today!

oday, Tuesday 28 June, I’ll be stewarding at the Loft Gallery from 11am until 2pm.

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

I’d be delighted to talk you through the 5 paintings of mine on display in the main exhibition. The two in the featured image above are South Pool Sunrise and Splosh of Frogmore.

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.

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?

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. 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.

AFFORDABLE ART

Both images are available as a fine art greetings card, at Bonningtons (the newsagents) and Salcombe Information Centre (both a short walk from the Loft Studio).

27 June 2016 In Art

Thank you!

I painted this image more than five years ago. With all the changes along that side of the estuary, I really ought to start on another.

The original of Salcombe Yacht Club sold very quickly and it’s been popular as a fine art greetings card ever since.

Cards are usually supplied individually, with an envelope, sealed within a cellophane wrap. There is an option to buy in bulk though – unfolded cards with envelopes separately – and I was delighted to fulfill such an order recently.

Many weddings are staged at Cliff House. While the Salcombe Yacht Club occupies the left-hand half of the building, the right-hand side provides space for community activities, wedding fairs, art exhibitions, private parties and – hooray! – weddings.

One recently married couple chose the Salcombe Yacht Club card as a reminder of the majestic building where these newlyweds tied the knot and will be sending this image as a thank-you card to each of their guests.

If you plan to marry at Cliff House, maybe you’d like to bulk-buy this card? We offer favourable rates for all orders of 50 or more cards. For those who don’t normally live in Salcombe, it’s best to book in advance and arrange local collection/delivery to save on postage costs.

20 June 2016 In Art

Sketchbook Notes: East Portlemouth Ferry

As well as Harvest Reaper (the South Sands ferry), Salcombe has the East Portlemouth Ferry providing safe passage from the Ferry Steps across the water to East Portlemouth.

Why did I paint the East Portlemouth ferry?

When the Salcombe lifeboat (Baltic Exchange III) was first launched, it was put on display at one of the London Docks adjacent to the London Boat Show. Members of the public were invited to go aboard and explore this state-of-the-art rescue craft. The lifeboat crew were on hand to escort – and explain its features to – those who came aboard.

One visitor asked Tricky if he had another job in addition to crewing the RNLI craft. Tricky replied, with some pride, that he was a ferryman.

‘What sort of job is that!’ exclaimed the pompous visitor.

Tricky explained that the East Portlemouth ferry service operated every day of the year. It was an honour, he said, to fulfil the long-standing obligations of the ferry service, one which benefited inhabitants of Salcombe town and East Portlemouth, and visitors too. I witnessed this exchange and echoed Tricky’s defence of the importance of this ferry service, and its vital role for those who needed to cross the water. Mr Pompous was not convinced and, unfortunately, left before we could throw him in the dock.

Have you noticed that, during the quieter times, it always appears that the ferry is on the wrong side – the other side! – when you want it?

In my painting, I captured that classic moment, with the ferryman reading his book or newspaper.

Where can you see my painting of the East Portlemouth ferry?

The original painting of East Portlemouth Ferry was bought by a couple who live full time in Salcombe and it’s proudly on display in their lounge.

This image is, however, available as a limited edition print, and one owner of the LEP version is Sarah Parr who lives in Stockport in Cheshire. Sarah says: I have been visiting The South Hams literally all my life … My grandparents lived in East Portlemouth and I spent every summer and October half term holidays with them along with visiting other relatives who lived in South Pool, Slapton and Malborough. I have very fond memories of the area and absolutely love the picture of the ferry at East Portlemouth. I remember when the trip to Salcombe was 15p each way!

East Portlemouth Ferry is also very popular as a fine art greetings card. It is on sale in Bonningtons the newsagents, at Salcombe Information Centre, in Malborough Post Office, or direct from Beacon House Gallery.

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!

16 June 2016 In Art

On display today: Salcombe Dawn II

Having sold a painting yesterday, the challenge is to choose which should take its place in my one-man exhibition in the Little Studio of the Loft Gallery in Salcombe.

Decision made! Salcombe Dawn II.

This view of Salcombe was captured very early one morning. I’d invested in a photography course with Bang Wallop, and a small group of us drove up to Snapes in the early hours so we’d be in position as the dawn broke. I’d never before sat in the dark, with a group of strangers, cameras ready, waiting for the sun to appear on the horizon. It was a magical experience, and provided a series of wonderful photographs.

Soon after, I painted Salcombe Dawn I, an oil, 12 inches by 16 inches, with purple hues. This sold almost immediately but there is a fine art greetings card of this image, and it’s very popular.

I then painted two more versions, a watercolour and another oil, both much larger: 16 inches by 20 inches.

Each one has the same topography – that iconic view of Salcombe town with Bolt Head behind – but I experimented with different tones and colours.

In the oil (featured far above), the sun has still to appear and the pink hues dominate.

The watercolour, Salcombe Dawn III, (below) is cool and calm – daylight has arrived.
108 Salcombe Dawn III72dpiResized

Where can you see my paintings?

Salcombe Dawn II will be on display in the Little Studio as part of my one-man exhibition which finishes this Saturday, 18 June.

I’ll be stewarding on Saturday afternoon (2-5pm). Why not pop in and say hello?

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.

15 June 2016 In Art

SOLD! Harvest Reaper III

The phone rings and it’s a delighted steward reporting that she has sold one of my paintings.

What lovely news!

Now, I have to think about which painting should replace it. Watch this space!