Richard Tuff: Colours of Cornwall

Here at Beside The Wave Cornwall, we are thrilled to be hosting our 25th solo show for the widely renowned and highly collected artist, Richard Tuff.

After 28 years of representation, it's hard to believe there are any Cornish coves, cottages or harbours left that haven't been depicted by Tuff; constantly seeking out inspiration in his surroundings and developing his celebrated distinctive style. In Tuff's work, change is not forced. Through exposure to new landscapes, he has discovered that the process of painting furthers itself.

His latest collection combines classic Cornish scenes of Helford, Durgan and Mylor with views of simple greenhouses and courtyards. In Tuff's playful compositions we see canoes propped up against a harbour wall, plants lining shelves and boats bobbing outside the Pandora.

Rendering the complexity of a view into abstract simplicity, and rebuilding it into a figurative image is what Tuff does best. Unlike many landscape painters whose focus is on capturing the moment - and particularly the light in a landscape- his work expresses a place 'in essence'. Almost the alchemist, Tuff absorbs landscapes through repeated exposure to them and then draws them out layer by layer in the studio.

At Beside The Wave, we feel hugely proud to have showcased this masterful artist's work for almost three decades, and to acknowledge his career as one of Cornwall's most successful and well-known contemporary artists.