tide Archives - Salcombe Art

13 March 2017 In Art

Salcombe Art Club Exhibition preview: Blackstone

Blackstone – the featured painting above – is another of five I plan to submit for consideration of the Hanging Committee of Salcombe Art Club, hoping they will be accepted for the 2017 Salcombe Art Club Exhibition which opens on Thursday 13 April.

On this blog, I’ll post a preview of each of the five paintings, over the next few weeks. If you decide you want to purchase one of them, be quick. The prices go up in April!

What inspired me to paint Blackstone?

Imagine: Dad has rigged the Mirror (or whatever small craft he has towed down to Salcombe). You can see it, set against the backdrop of cliffs, in wind and tide, navigating safely past a beastly reef we call Blackstone.

What were the challenges?

The challenge here, for me as an artist, rather than me as a sailor, was to capture the sheer scale of the sea on the horizon, and the cliffs, with the brave dinghy in the foreground. I wanted to create the atmosphere of adventure since the daunting rocks spell danger for any small craft exploring the estuary. But also, I wanted to spell out the delight as the sails fill.

Capturing all this in one painting is a challenge in itself.

Add to this the fact that acrylic tones tend to darken as they dry. However, this proved fortuitous for me – it served to emphasize the solid damp cliffs.

I enjoyed the challenge of the composition so much, I produced a second Blackstone painting: Racing Past Blackstone. This one is a watercolour.

Affordable Art

Both Blackstone images are available as a fine art greetings card. The range is now 59 strong, and on sale at Malborough Post Office.

Just think: 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.

12 December 2016 In Art

On show: The Great Mewstone

As mentioned in a previous blog post, Maxine, who runs the Gallery Project at Noss Mayo has several of my originals on show at the moment. One of those is today’s featured painting with The Great Mewstone rising out of the sea while tide, wind, and currents scar the sea surface with competing patterns. It is hard to take in the distant shores of Cornwall.

What’s my connection with The Mewstone?

Not a pleasant one, unfortunately! On my first visit to the Yealm with two sailing chums, I was persuaded to accompany them to the Mewstone by boat. I thought we were going to moor up and explore … but no, they wanted to dive and try out their harpoons and needed me to stay on board while we were anchored for safety purposes.

As I hadn’t come along with a wetsuit and they had, I agreed. About 40 minutes later, they returned with their harpoons but no fish or lobster to be seen. However, I had changed colour! I had discovered seasickness. It took several pints for me to find my ‘land legs’!

Where can you see this painting?

The Great Mewstone is on display at The Gallery Project, in Noss Mayo. This light, contemporary space provides the perfect setting to showcase art and craft from South Devon and is open now, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays from 11am until 5pm, until 23 December.

Where is The Gallery Project, in Noss Mayo?

The Gallery Project is in The Revelstoke Room, next to the Village Hall.

Post code: PL8 1EN

Tel: 01752 873150

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!

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!