Wednesday 22 June 2011

Impressionism at Beside The Wave.

Think impressionist painting and you think of Van Gogh struggling through a hot cicada rustling landscape with his easel strapped to his back, or Monet in his garden surrounded by outrageous flowers, or perhaps Bonnard documenting the intimacy of his home life.  Pull forward about 100 years and you will find the same activities happening still. Andrew Tozer presents us with a selection of paintings that are both contemporary and rooted in the glorious tradition of impressionism.  He paints Truro cathedral bathed in Cornish sunlight just as Monet painted Rouen cathedral, a corner of a daffodil field, the everyday scenes of a family life documented with the sensitive eye of the artist who opens his heart and paints.  The start of the series of contemporary impressionism exhibitions at beside the wave gallery is fittingly kicked off by one of Cornwall's best living impressionists.  This vibrant collection of wonderful paintings can be enjoyed at the gallery from June 24 until and is the first show in Beside The Wave's Contemporary Impressionism Season which is being run in partnership with Falmouth Art Gallery's British Impressionism until September.






Wednesday 8 June 2011

Richard Tuff


Durgan View to Sea

The paintings of Richard Tuff are a rich tapestry of chalky shades, blues and greens punctuated here and there with a dash of burnt orange, or a splash of deep winy red.    
Flushing Boats

A patchwork quilt of seaside cottages, little boats, steps and railings, mooring lines and trees appliquéd onto a delft blue sea. 
King Charles Quay, to the Bosun's Locker
They are childlike in their view of endless summers in Cornwall but defiantly not childish in their execution. Ice cream colours nestle beside the deep greens of Cornwall's garden heritage, red sails in the sunset are echoed in roofs of higgledy piggeldy cottages. 
Looking Over St Mawes
Gouache is a very difficult medium to work in and if you study one of Richards paintings the energy and skill with which it is employed is wonderful.  The range of closely related colours and shapes mixing beautifully together to present a vision of Cornwall at its very best.
The Bridge and Ford at Helford
Favorite places are given a veil of recent history, like a souvenir box of treasured memories, the edges blurred, the senses heightened until what is left is a distillation of pure pleasure.

Pandora
Places that we have loved and sometimes lost but never for ever because they can be found and held close within these beautiful paintings.
Richard Tuff is at Beside The Wave until Wednesday 22nd June, the private view is on Friday 10th of June from 6 until 8pm.