Latest News and Progress

12 August 2019

Worthy causes: Salcombe Town Regatta & Hope Cove Lifeboat

Last week was twice as busy as usual with Anne and I supporting two local worthy causes. At both events, one of my latest images, Walking Back to Hope Cove, the featured image above, proved very popular.

Bank Holiday Monday, 5 August

On Monday, we were in Whitestrand, taking part in the Art Day of Salcombe Town Regatta, and had a very early start.

At 8am, the Regatta organisers were on top form, marshalling us to our respective spots and making sure everyone was safe, what with cars and vans delivering materials for sale.

We were selling my affordable art in support of Salcombe Regatta: cards and cushions, coasters and place mats, purses and pill boxes, and fine bone china mugs …

Anne and our stand at the Salcombe Regatta Art Day

We lost count of the number of people who visited the stall, and bought something or took my business card.

Staying cool in the shade on a hot sunny Salcombe day

The wind was a bit of a trial! We were glad of our stock of water botttles and that we were on the shaded side of the car park.

The gazebo, held fast with water bottles

All in all, a fun day. We will be back next year …

Thursday 8 August

On Thursday, it was the turn of the Hope Cove Lifeboat.

This is another regular event for us and it’s always a joy to take part. The organising team, together with the staff of the Cottage Hotel couldn’t be more helpful.

We had our usual stall in the dining room of the Cottage Hotel, donated a prize for the raffle and sold our wares during their fundraising day, donating a percentage of our profits to the Lifeboat charity. In total, they raised a wonderful sum: £4,028.

Anne assures me I could have taken a better shot but, at least you can see, at closer range, the products now available (as well as our morning coffee pot), and she is smiling despite spending hours on her feet.

Our next outing: Tuesday 10 September

On Tuesday 10 September, we will be at Burton Farm for a coffee morning 10.30am-12.30pm in support of The Triangle Centre.

Can we support your charity?

Yes! We are keen to support local worthy causes.

Let us know when your event is, and I’ll check if that date is clear in our diary. Just contact me, and we will help as best we can.

29 July 2019

SOLD! Dawn at New Bridge

Dawn at New Bridge shows the view from the bridge some think of as Bowcombe Bridge.

Sold!

Back in 2012/13, Anne and I rented a stunning house at Bickerton. It belonged to an artist and her husband and, for those twelve months, I worked in the best studio conditions I’ll ever have, for sure.

Work was being done on our Salcombe flat, ahead of putting it on the market, and we spent three years renting various houses in the South Hams.

During that particular tenancy, I would often drive from Bickerton back to Salcombe and, crossing New Bridge, Bowcombe, I would enjoy the view across the estuary.

One morning, there was a mist, slowly clearing. I felt compelled to stop the car and, reaching for my camera, I captured this magical moment. I especially admired the reflections in the pink water.

Dawn at New Bridge was one of a number of studies that resulted from that pitstop and this original acrylic painting has spent the past five years hanging in the gallery at Beacon House with the occasional outing to an exhibition.

It is now sold and, from tomorrow, will be gracing the walls of a dear friend who used to live in Salcombe but has now moved ‘up country’. Like so many of our era, travel is becoming a challenge, so to have a painting of a treasured view has to suffice. I am honoured my painting was chosen.

This particular purchaser also bought three prints – because the originals of those images had already been sold.

Four paintings in one home

Four of my images in one home! It’s not a record …

One of my ‘collectors’ has amassed more than a dozen of my paintings and they hang in his office suite in the City of London.

Limited edition prints from £95

Even if an original painting has not already sold, a limited edition print can be purchased. It’s a cheaper option, and because my prints are on the highest quality canvas, it’s made to last.

The cost of a print depends on the size of the image, and starts at £95. It can be posted to your home in a strong cardboard tube.

For those living in the South Hams, I recommend using Tidal Gallery for the mounting and framing. Anna Ventura provides a swift turnaround and a professional service.

For more details about purchasing prints, do contact me.

15 July 2019

Contemporary Passions Exhibition: 16-28 July

I am one of the nine SHAF artists whose work will be on show at Harbour House for the Contemporary Passions exhibition.

Teresa Barlow
Nick Cotter
Jane Davarian
Crystel Dauth
Brett Hornby
Cherry Lyons
Jane Mahood
Elaine Sibley
myself, Stephen Thomas

In this series of blogs, some of them share their process. You can read about Jane Mahood here, Elaine Sibley here and Cherry Lyons here.

What’s my process?

I like to sketch and, indeed, this year, the formation of the SOS (Salcombe Outdoors Sketchers) group by members of the Salcombe Art Club has encouraged me to do more than I usually would. To date, we have visited several local beauty spots: Kingsbridge creek, Dartmouth (although it rained most of the day and we had to retreat to the pub), Torcross and Beesands, and Shipley Bridge up on the moors. As a result of these days out, I’ve produced great source material for the winter time when I spend less time in the garden and more time in my studio.

Most of my source material, though, is by way of photographs. I take thousands. Only this past weekend, the changing colours on Snapes as the sun sunk below the horizon were breathtaking – and captured for consideration at a later date.

I have a relatively expensive camera – a Nikon 7000 – with a zoom lens, but my smaller and more portable underwater camera, a Canon D10, is always to hand wherever we are. Even the iPad takes good enough photos.

Deciding what to paint

I’m always spoilt for choice. I have so much source material to hand: my sketch books and all my photographs. However, having already painted about 150 local scenes, I am keen to find new angles and new places of interest.

So, the question is more likely: what image will provide a fresh view of a place? Or, can I paint a new place altogether?

On top of this, I might be thinking about next year’s exhibitions. A group of SHAF artists, myself included, have just had our application for Contemporary Passions 2020 accepted. So, I need to be thinking how I can meet the brief we’ve agreed with the team at Harbour House.

Last, but not least, most of my paintings are destined to become fine art greetings cards, so I’m also aware of what ‘the market’ might want as a reminder of their visit to Devon.

Deciding which medium to use

I paint in oils, acrylics and watercolour.

Which one to use depends on my interpretation of the light and contrasting colours. If I choose acrylic, the colours will darken as they dry. With watercolours, as the painting dries, the colours fade somewhat. As for oil, colours are reasonably predictable but the medium can take forever to dry, so this is not a good option if I am up against deadlines!

I have been known to tackle an image three times, once in each of the media. Just for the fun of it, and to stretch myself …

When do I paint?

I paint most days of the year. Having had a long career in the city, my dream in retirement was to live in Salcombe and paint. I am living that dream, and painting is always one of my contemporary passions.

When the sun is shining, jobs in the garden do tempt me away. We are also a popular destination for visitors and my time is spent entertaining them.

However, particularly in the winter, the majority of my day is spent in the studio. If you’d like to see me at work, contact me to arrange a time to visit.