Hope Cove Archives - Page 2 of 2

26 May 2017 In Art, Exhibition

CONTEMPORARY PASSIONS EXHIBITION PREVIEW: Hope Cove

Hope Cove Fishing Gear Contemporary Passions Hope Cove is one of several paintings I’ll be showing at the the annual Contemporary Passions exhibition.

It’s only the second study of Hope Cove. The first was Hope Cove Fishing Gear, which is currently on display at Salcombe Art Club.
The second study of Hope Cove, is of the beach – with both modern and traditional crab pots being featured in the foreground.

HOPE COVE IS A PERFECT SUBJECT FOR AN ARTIST?

Yes! 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.

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. To see how I make sure I don’t make any mistakes, read my Sketchbook notes for Hope Cove.

Contemporary passions The image was so popular, it was used as the backdrop for a Treasure Hunt at the 2016 Fund Raising Day for Hope Cove Lifeboat. (The date for the 2017 Fund-Raising Day is 10 August.)

What is the Contemporary Passions exhibition?

My ‘contemporary passion’ for the 2017 Contemporary Passions exhibition is ‘places other than Salcombe’. For the past decade or so, I’ve focused on scenes within easy walking distance of my home in Salcombe, and I’ve painted over 100 of them.

WHEN IS THE CONTEMPORARY PASSIONS EXHIBITION?

Tuesday 6 June until Sunday 18 June 2017
Open daily 10 am – 5 pm (closing at 4 pm on the last day)

WHERE IS THE CONTEMPORARY PASSIONS EXHIBITION?

The Contemporary Passions exhibition will be at Harbour House, The Promenade, Kingsbridge, Devon, TQ7 1JD

WANT TO MEET THE ARTISTS?

There will be an opportunity to meet the artists on Tuesday 6 June, 6-8 pm.

I will also be stewarding all day on Saturday 10 June and on the morning of Saturday 17 June.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

Admission is free!

15 August 2016 In Art

Salcombe Lifeboats Art Fair: 16-18 August at Holy Trinity Church, Salcombe

Salcombe Lifeboats Art Fair starts tomorrow!

As a sailor, I support the RNLI and, in particular, the lifeboats in Salcombe and Hope Cove. Without the brave crews who man the lifeboats, many a sailor would be lost. Their equipment and training is expensive, so I am delighted to have been invited by the Friends of Salcombe Lifeboat to support this charitable event.

When is the Salcombe Lifeboats Art Fair?

16-18 August 2016

Where is the Salcombe Lifeboats Art Fair?

Holy Trinity Church, Salcombe

What will I be displaying?

There will be six of my original paintings, copies of my limited edition print series, and all 52 of my fine art greetings cards.

These have all been reduced in price – to encourage sales – and in turn, to raise much-needed funds for Salcombe Lifeboat.

Which original paintings are for sale?

Slapton Ley, Batson, The Creek at Low Tide, The Church of St Peter, Buckland-tout-Saints, Hannaford’s Landing, Fishing Boats at the Barbican

Which limited edition prints are for sale?

Mounted but unframed limited edition prints will be available at the Salcombe Lifeboats Art Fair – all at reduced prices.

Which fine art greetings cards are for sale?

All of them – £2 each for 3 for £5.

Be sure to come along and support this worthy cause!

28 July 2016 In Art

Cards galore – all in a good cause

This time next week, the Hope Cove Fundraising Day will be just starting.

When is the Hope Cove Fundraising Day?

12 noon until 3pm on Thursday 4 August

Where is the HOPE COVE FUNDRAISING DAY?

The Cottage Hotel, Hope Cove

WHAT WILL I BE selling?

My fine art greetings cards, including the one of Hope Cove (featured above)

How much are the cards?

My full range of fine art greetings cards will be on sale at £2 each or 3 for a fiver.

However, there are 52 cards, and my twirly display stand only holds 48. So I’ve decided not to stock four designs once the current supply runs out. These four designs will be on sale at Hope Cove Fundraising Day, at a special price.

Special offer? How much?

£1.25 each or 5 for a fiver

Choose from these four designs: Rose Dawn, Leaving Ditch End, Morning Drift and The Creek.

AFFORDABLE ART

For less than 1% of the sales price of an original painting, you can invest in a fine art greetings card.

Send it to a friend or frame it for yourself. Whistlefish sell frames that fit … about £10 each.

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!

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!