A Celebration of Watercolour.

All too often watercolour painting is overlooked and under-represented in many galleries today which is why we at Beside The Wave have taken the bold step in hosting a glorious celebration of watercolour. A number of our artists are experts in this exacting discipline, and now their work in watercolour can be seen and enjoyed in this special exhibition.

Watercolour is often seen as the poor relation to oils, not considered as "proper painting" by some.

It is also the first choice of many who are new to painting and yet it remains one of the most difficult mediums to master. 

The clean colours and expert draftsmanship of John Raynes work succeed in  making this art form look effortless.

The exuberant splashes and mark making of Richard Thorn are an emotional response to a multiple textured landscape.

The intimate delicate paintings of Amanda Hoskin are beautifully simple and yet wonderfully complex.

The layered colours that Sarah Wimperis employs give a jewel like luminosity to her work.

The chalky twin of watercolour is gouache and this is exhibited with the expert brushstrokes of  Richard Tuff.

We have a preview of this fascinating exhibition in our upstairs gallery from tomorrow, Saturday 1st of October with the full exhibition opening on Saturday 8th October and running until the 19th.

Paul Lewin

This is a stunning exhibition.  These paintings are so evocative that they can give you vertigo.  Become a gull and soar over turquoise seas above granite cliffs.  Taste the salt in the air and fill your heart with the essence of Cornwall.
Paul Lewin has earned a reputation as one of Cornwall's leading landscape artists.  He seems to have captured Cornwall, bottled it and spread it out onto paper and canvas. He works in the landscape producing works in mixed media perched on the edge of cliffs or on top of wind blasted hills.

Laden down with materials his search for the perfect composition, the best light, the sense of place seems to be relentless and he finds it over and over again.

This is no easy way to make work and although Paul cites the usual suspects, Monet and other Impressionists as influences to the way he works he is also interested in the Abstract Expressionists, their wild use of paint.  Spend some time looking at Paul's work and you can see the skill with which he has applied pigment of all sorts to weave these stories of Cornwall that are his paintings.

What appears to be almost photographic from a distance is in fact the most skillful application of media that seems effortless which of course is part of the skill.  It takes years of dedication to be able to do what he has acheived.   Part of what he is doing by making these paintings is asking us to stop and look.  To see the glow of sand beneath the sea, to watch the softly undulating deep blue shadows of the cliffs on the water.  That is what we owe the artist and the landscape.  To this end he has made a series of soundscapes on his web site where you can look at the work while listening to the sounds that surrounded him as he made the painting. It slows us down, a few moments of stillness to really study and enjoy this wonderful work.

It is a joy to have the opportunity to get up close and personal with this work.  His exhibition is on from the 3rd until the 14th of September.  It is an exhibition not to miss and not something to dash past with a cursory glance, these paintings took time to make and deserve to be enjoyed for a lifetime.

Four Artists



Miles Heseltine Woodland II (sold)

 Opening this Saturday at 10am a collection of new paintings by four of our artists. Miles Hesletine, Myles Oxenford, Benjamin Warner and Andrew Giddens.  All four artists are exhibiting their own response to the world around them, embodying the sentiments of the impressionist movement. 

Miles Heseltine.  Woodland IV

Miles Heseltine has four stunning paintings of woodland.  Bristling with energy and almost exploding with emotion, beautifully simple yet full of depth these little paintings take you by the hand, right into the woods and almost shove you headlong into the bluebells.  They are quite beautiful and as you may be able to tell, have taken my breath away.  They really need to be seen, in person as the strong scribing marks that break the surface of the paint cry out to be studied closely.

Benjamin Warner. Winter View from my Studio towards Stithians Reservoir

Benjamin Warner has been to London and produced beautiful atmospheric paintings of the Thames at night.  As well as the end of day river pieces, there are two exquisite landscapes, the view from his studio, one with the sky like battered lead bent over fields barely scraped with snow. 
His paintings, as usual, seemingly simple but upon closer inspection revealing intricate layers of oil paint thrown and scraped and painted with such skill that the resulting paintings hang on the walls with the confidence and presence of an old master.

Benjamin Warner.  February Morning towards Truro.

Myles Oxenford's paintings are fresh, delicate and gentle.  Capturing the ephemeral quality of the dawn or the ending of the day in such a way that, when looking at them, I seem to hear the distant call of a lapwing.  Really lovely paintings with the tidal waters of the creeks running the eye up to a beautifully rendered horizon of ancient oaks and that sharp line of light caught on the very edge of the water.

Myles Oxenford.  Dawn Perranaworthal.

After standing back and resting your mind in this dawn and twilight world step closer and admire the masterful application of thin layers of carefully chosen colours that go to show such tranquil scenes.  Certainly a balm for the soul in such a mad world.

Andrew Giddens.  Rinsey Sunshine.

Finally there is a collection of new paintings by Andrew Giddens.  Rolling surf and blinding sunlight, woven colours let the huge splendour of the Cornish sea pour off the canvas, if you are a fan of this very popular artist then you will love this set of paintings.  Andrew's colours gush forth and his love for the spirituality found at the edge of the land are very apparent in his work.

Wimperis, Hoskin and Helford

Sarah Wimperis and Amanda Hoskin continue the Contemporary Impressionism series of exhibitions, at Beside The Wave, with their own individual visions of the Helford River.
In this, Sarah's first major collection for Beside The Wave, works include the Helford (where she lives) come rain or shine, exquisite portraits of gardens and a rich collection of paintings from Sarah's recent visit to Provence - a welcome reminder of what a sun-drenched summer really looks like.  

Wimperis. Low Tide, Polwheveral Creek



Hoskin. Misty Day, Helford.



Meanwhile, with her epic painting journey around Cornwall done, Amanda has found inspiration further inland around the Helford River. In painting the Helford for the very first time Amanda has sought to capture the essence of the river throughout the year.

Paintings are made by coaxing misty shapes out of the paint, using her fingers and splattering subtle colours onto the canvas. Amanda often paints from memory or from sketch books and studies made outdoors working to create and communicate the spirit of place.

Sarah paints as much as she can en plein air, or out there, in the rain, mist and sun, completing entire works of art outdoors. Her work seeks out strong colours, deep shadows and brilliant light, and she will often painting into the light ("contre jour") from the creek side or from her floating studio out in the river.

 

Sarah Wimperis and her floating studio


 For both Amanda Hoskin and Sarah Wimperis, the challenges of painting Cornwall in the winter, misty and moody with lush greens and subtle greys, and Cornwall in the summer, hazy sunshine, hot colours against deep cool shadows have produced breathtaking collections of work. And unsurprisingly, from the same stimulus of the Helford River each has such different and refreshing responses - which of course is part of what the joy of art is all about. Unique ways of seeing and utterly individual ways of voicing them.
 

Hoskin.  Rain Clouds over the Field.  Helford.



Wimperis.  Hazy Helford



Sarah, meanwhile, has also spent some time this summer in Provence, painting en plein air and has filled the gallery with paintings of blue Provencal skies, terracotta walls and purple shadows and of course Lavender.

Sarah and painting kit in Provence

Here you can see the process of painting, but you can't sadly hear the cicadas or feel the hot sun but clearly much of that has seeped into the paintings!!!


Wimperis.  Shadow Shed



Wimperis.  Lavender Stripes.

Anyway, it's now time to go and hang these paintings on the wall so they can be there for all to enjoy!
This exhibition opens on Saturday 6th August and continues until Thursday 18th August.

Emma Dunbar


The gallery is filled with a joyous burst of colour.  Lovely paintings grace the walls each one like a secret scrap book full of experience, memory and musing. Collections of things arranged and rearranged, sorted and saved.  At once both thoughtfully intricate and simply bold.

 
Beautifully painted flowers nestle against exuberant swathes of colour.  Colours that should clash dont seem to, everything has its place in the wonderful world of Emma Dunbar.

Patterned ceramics are lovingly rendered with a Fedden like simplicity, marks made by painting on and scratching out.  Images are collaged in and painted over, gold is added only to be hidden later.  Its a treasure hunt, a romp through a collectors cupboards.

Birds peck at a richly textured purple earth, sheep are scattered on patterned fields, moss green on emerald beside viridian.  Trees and twigs appear as flat designs or as scraffito marks into patches of carefully applied paint.

These are woven, multi layered and finely worked paintings that express a joie de vivre.  They are a celebration of the little things in life that are so important. They are quite simply, joyful.



Come along to the gallery and get your joy prescription.  The Emma Dunbar exhibition opens on Friday 22nd July with a private view at 6pm and continues until August 3rd.  And we will see you there, smiling!

Tozer secrets revealed!

Following Andrew Tozer’s fantastic solo show which opened our Contemporary Impressionism exhibition in collaboration with Falmouth Art Gallery, Andrew is holding a painting demo and talk at Falmouth Art Gallery on 18th August 2pm-3pm. Andrew says “come and find out some of my tips and secrets!” All are welcome and Andrew looks forward to seeing you there.

Contemporary Impressionism Continues

A SARAH WIMPERIS PREVIEW...
With a lively exhibition featuring John Raynes, Simon Stooks and Alasdair Lindsay.  Three contemporary impressionists, very different styles but all three locked into the tradition of Impressionism, they take the world around them and make it their own, offering up a personal vision of what is there.
Simon Stooks paintings, with their energetic and painterly personality being calmed down by a soft and gentle palette.  They sit on the walls like very excited children bursting to tell you something very, very important.

There are fields, baking dry underneath a Provencal sun, of twisted vines, or overblown sunflowers, with earth colours that have grabbed the sky and kissed it into the ground.  Wonderfully calm beach scenes, the hubbub of summer holiday makers lost amongst the bleached out colours of midday. John Raynes brings us back to Cornwall with his masterful handling of line and colour, he is the best artist I know for capturing the shadows of boats in water. 

His boats float, the water in the harbours is barely contained by the pictures frame.  Light floods in and out of his paintings, waves crash and spume and with each painting you can smell the iodine fresh scent of the sea.

Alasdair Lindsay bursts into the back of the gallery with his paintings shouting "I was there and this is what I saw"  The colours are vibrant and funny and glorious.  He seems to be able to look and look and pull out of a landscape all of the elements that were important.  A post here a rooftop there, a colour reflected in a stone and the hint of a well known landmark.

As well as the colourful smaller paintings there is a truly magnificent painting of Falmouth at night, it is beautiful, the colours are calm and stunning and the little flicks of light on the boats chink like the song of rigging lines against masts that is part of Falmouth's soundtrack.

 The exhibition is a good one, go and have a look for yourself, it officially opens on Saturday 9th July and continues until Wednesday 20th.  There are catalogue paintings available to purchase now and further exhibition paintings should be on line by today.

Shop on line with Beside The Wave!

We are very pleased to announce the launch of our on line shop which features a selection of our artists' work (soon to be all of it, and with 500 art works in stock, we have quite a task on our hands)!
Excitingly, you can also purchase these works, interest free on line through "Own Art."
The Own Art scheme is designed to make it easy and affordable for everyone to buy and collect contemporary art and craft.
You can apply for as little as £100 or as much as £2,000 for the purchase of original works of art by living artists in any media including paintings, sculpture, photography, ceramics, glassware, and artist made jewellery and furniture.
Loans are repayable in 10 monthly instalments, completely interest free – so you’ll never be paying more than the advertised price.
Our web shop is here Beside The Wave go and have a look and see just how easy it is to click and buy.
Here is an example:

This beautiful drawing by Richard Tuff could be yours for just £13.50 a month!  That's about 45p a day, which isn't even the price of a cup of coffee.

Or this lovely painting by Sarah Wimperis would be £46.50 per month, which is about £1.50 a day and even that is less than a cup of coffee.  So you see, now you can have your cake and eat it, or rather you can have your art and love it for the rest of your life!
Go and visit the site, click here and see for yourself.

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.

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.