The Cornwall Blog

Painter Mark Preston has been drawn to the rugged, dramatic coastline between St Ives and Lands End since he was a fine art student in the 1990s. For the past year, Mark’s work has focused on capturing the beauty of the land and sea of West Cornwall throughout the four seasons. This exhibition of forty works, showing from the 6th to 21st September 2013, explores the Duchy in all its glory; sun, rain, storms, spring flowers, winter seas, enticing beaches and wild landscapes. Although based in Derbyshire, Preston is a devoted painter of the Cornish land, coast and sea, fascinated by the way in which the changing seasons affect these spectacular places. Inspired to become a landscape painter through many painting trips to the Peak District, Cornwall and Scotland with his artist father, Rex Preston, Mark paints outdoors using acrylics, with relatively little time spent in the studio. Direct contact with the landscape and natural elements are essential for his painting. Working wi

Open Studios Cornwall is a unique opportunity to discover the people behind the Cornish art scene, visit studios in breathtaking locations, and buy an original piece of artwork direct from the artist. This year the free event showcases 209 artists and craftspeople from across the length & breadth of Cornwall who will open their studios to the public. With its heady mix of established artists, recent graduates, traditional and contemporary art and host of creative disciplines, Open Studios Cornwall is the largest and most diverse arts event in the county. Work by award­‐winning lighting and furniture designer Tom Raffield The Open Studios Cornwall experience will encourage you to discover the art of surfboard shaping, get inspired by incredible home studios, and to get up close and personal with Cornish art. There will be artist run workshops throughout the event, offering the opportunity to learn new skills, ranging from how to throw a pot to monoprinting. For those

A new exhibition showcasing the work of Falmouth-based photographer Oliver Raymond-Barker will be taking place at The Poly, Falmouth, from 1-7 March 2011. This is his first solo show and has been enabled by a development grant from the arts organisation Creative Skills Cornwall. Through the medium of photography and print Raymond-Barker explores his connection with the natural and built environment. The wild coast of Cornwall provides a wealth of inspiration, as does his work as an architectural photographer. His images seek to transcend the original subject and create a new vision, communicating the energy and essence of locations as he sees them. Raymond-Barker graduated from Birmingham Institute of Art and Design in 2002 with an honours degree in Photography. Following his degree, he worked as studio assistant and later digital manager for Sanctuary Studios in London before deciding to go freelance two years later. He has spent the last five years working in the outdoor adventu

Art Inspired of Southern Africa & George Adamson Wildlife Conservation Kenya. On exhibition will be some wildlife paintings, and some of the proceeds will be donated to the Wildlife Foundation as above, as they can only survive through contributions from public. The Lion Painting will be the centre of the exhibition, dedicated to a lion called Christian, whom was bought from Harrods in London in 1960s and then eventually made his way to Kenya, where George took care of him. A percentage of the proceeds of the Large Lion Painting will go to the George Adamson Wildlife Conservation Kenya. Georges's work was made famous by Film & Book "Born Free" and others. Exhibition at Shire Hall, Bodmin 1st to 30th November 2010 Mon to Sat, 10am to 5pm Free admission www.africanvista.info

Last week I mentioned that Padstow Contemporary Art Gallery was opening its Autumn Exhibition, and last Friday evening attended the private viewing. There was a warm atmosphere within the small exhibition space, welcoming as we stepped in from the crisp Autumn darkness. All the design team from Pickle Design attended, eager to see John O'Carroll's new work alongside regular exhibitors to his gallery. The featured image in this post is called Damascus by Gareth Edwards, and is hung upstairs. His work in the lower gallery evokes the Camel Estuary, and the choice of media gives it the impression that it has formed from the boatyards and sands wonderfully. Simon Gaiger's sculpture draws on nautical mythology, especially memorable in the piece Charybdis, based on the spokes of a carriage wheel, and effortlessly conjuring images of the Greek sea monster.

Padstow Contemporary Art Gallery is opening its Autumn 2008 Exhibition next Saturday, the 18th October. It features work by Gareth Edwards, Simon Gaiger , and, of course, John O'Carroll , the resident artist and curator. John also has another exhibition running in Holland, Archaiologia, at Galerie Roger Katwijk . This is where, in a few weeks, he will be presenting his new book cataloguing his work from the last ten years. Padstow Contemporary Art Gallery is located in an atmospheric alleyway in the centre of the town, and is open from 11am to 5pm daily, and 11am to 1pm on Sunday. The image above is "Grey Wing" by Simon Gaiger.