Latest News and Progress

18 July 2016

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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!