Earlier in June I packed my kit and took the train to Penzance for the ‘Expressive Landscape’ painting course at the Newlyn School of Art, taught by local artist Jack Davis. We developed rapid mark making, recording the energy of the landscape onto paper and canvas board.
In the mornings we went to Pendeen, Cape Cornwall, Botallack and Perranuthnoe beach, capturing the energy of the landscape in order to develop more finalised paintings in the afternoon.
In the studio we’d apply a ‘ground’ of acrylic, and over-painting with oil paint for vibrancy. To say the time flew was an understatement as we were totally absorbed in the moment…
In the evenings I took the bus to Mousehole and Lamorna to see the Merry Maidens stone circle which was a pretty epic experience in the late afternoon sun. Hitching a ride to Lamorna Vale I experienced a vast ancient woodland, the smell of the oxygen-rich forest was overwhelming pure. Cornwall really showed its secrets and I was enthralled by the experience.
There was plenty of evening time to continue working on new landscapes. Cornwall is a breathtaking county and I have to say it now rivals Northumberland for inspiration…
We were encouraged to keep the creative process flowing by working multiple canvases in the studio. I was pretty fixated with a line of trees on a cliff edge recorded in Perranthnoe Beach earlier in the week and thanks to Jack we all felt creatively pushed.
I’ll definitely be going again next year on the week long course!