Trevone, a coastline pocket of loveliness

Padstow and Bude are both in North Cornwall, but in many ways poles apart.  The coastline is softer around the camel estuary with more sand dunes, whereas Bude is a haven with the steepest most dramatic cliffs towering down towards it on both sides, from High Cliffs, around Boscastle from the south and Hartland Point in the north.

Last week I had reason to go to Trevone, a small village just outside Padstow.   Padstow lies on a peninsula and you can always find a beach which is sheltered from the winds, and Trevone, tucked on the southern edge of that peninsula was an oasis of calm and warmth.

Trevone Beach. Think this must be a future painting!

This is in stark contrast to what we had left behind in Bude, as most of our beaches tend to face directly out the Atlantic and when the wind blows, it can feel relentless  This can be great on a real ‘blow the cobwebs away day,’ as the surf rolls in, with miles of beach to walk at low tide as you gaze at the cliff formations in awe, but after a ‘not so good summer’ enough is enough!

Padstow feels cosy, but is well trodden by visitors.  The surrounding area though if explored has lots of little pockets of loveliness and one is Trevone.  I have always prided myself on thinking there aren’t many places I haven’t visited in Cornwall, but as I recall, I have never been here. The beach would be very busy in summer, but in winter sheltered from northerly winds and with blues skies of winter it must be heaven.

In the village there is an new development of  modern barns for holiday rentals which have been interior designed and  decorated by Jill Stein and Cathryn Bishop. Cathryn contacted me in the summer asking for a range of prints from my originals to put in these new barns.  Light and airy, and beautifully decorated, my artwork looks fabulous in all the bedrooms. Jill has a deep connection with this coastline which she could relate to in my artwork and by choosing just my artwork for all the barns gives great continuity.

Having 14 paintings in the four barns is like having a mini exhibition.   All are printed on artist quality paper and framed in soft driftwood style frames to fit in with the relaxed beach style and I have made them limited edition prints all hand signed and titled. I have to admit that one or two look better than the originals, possibly because of the mounts and framing which give them a really professional finish.  Jill is very keen to promote my art and keep a connection running, so my next job is to develop my website which will allow people to access and buy the prints.

A sneaky peak of one of the bedrooms with my artwork

Here is the link to the development which will be available for rent very soon.

Steins at Trevone Farm

 

Arty Day Away – St Agnes – Padstow

The day had arrived to go to the Printers.  I always valued Original Art as just that… “Original”.  But when you have a great painting and people want to enjoy it, good quality Giclee Prints must be the way to go, making them a limited edition.

I had been recommended MonkeyPuzzle Repro Art, so took a trip down to St Agnes to visit them.  Situated right on the coast in an Eco Park, we came across them more by luck than design,  as we came off the main road and travelled the country lanes towards the coast, keeping to the high ground with the Atlantic glimpsed through hedges of gorse and the blossom of blackthorn.

The people at Monkey Puzzle Repro Art were very helpful, but due to costs and being a new direction, I limited my initial print to two giclee’s and four reproductions of my images for cards.

Although still in Cornwall, it feels very different the further down the coast you go.  Wilder, more exposed as the  county narrows and the distance from the North Coast to the South Coast is only around 15 miles.  This is tin mining country, a heavy industry of the 1800’s and a big part of Cornwall’s heritage.  The mining houses cling to the side of steep valleys and the spoils have been taken over by gorse splashing yellow all the way down to the sea.

Heading back to Newquay, I collected some paintings from a gallery in Newquay and we took the coast road back to Padstow.  One of my favourite drives, this coast drive takes you past some of Cornwall’s nicest beaches including Watergate Bay, Bedruthan Steps, Mawgan Porth, Porthcothnan, Treyarnon and Haryln.

 

April showers were coming in off the Atlantic and the light was great for photos.  Trevose Lighthouse was picked out in the sunlight.

We arrived in Padstow and after a lunch of Rick Steins Fish and Chips (which never disappoints), we took the opportunity to browse one or two of the galleries there and realized it had not been renamed PadStein for nothing. Rick and his promoting of the area through his cookery programmes and restaurant has made an incredible impact on the economy of the area reflected by the people visiting and plethera of upmarket shops.  This included “The Drang”  a newish gallery full of Damien Hirst, Peter Blake and with many other well known artists on their lists, it was very impressive.  Admittedly the Hirst and Blake works were prints and probably executed by their minions but the fact that they were in Padstow  hanging on a gallery wall was quite amazing.

Although way out of my league, it’s nice to know that ART is such a big feature in Cornwall.