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A
dramatic and exciting collection of different views of
Mount's Bay has been assembled by Penzance based artist
Mike Hindle for his forthcoming show at Beside the Wave
Gallery in Falmouth.
Mike
moved back to Penzance two years ago after a ten year
absence and has realised how much he loves Mount's Bay.
He has found new vigour and energy in his approach to
painting it from walking along the beach, watching the
various people that walk their dogs or just meet on
the beach.
Mount's
Bay is a huge wide expanse of water and sand. The views
extend on a clear day from the Lizard one way and Newlyn
and Mousehole the other way, with St. Michael's Mount
guarding the bay like a sentry post. Mike reflects the
size and scale of these big views and big seas with
some of his largest paintings he has produced to date.
Figures,
Mounts Bay
800mm x 1200mm, oil on canvas
Mike
also loves the backlight that illuminates the bay. His
new paintings demonstrate these lighting conditions
with full dramatic effect as he fills the canvas with
deep blue seas, glittering and shimmering with reflected
light from an unseen sun. The town of Penzance is captured
in silhouette with just the occasional rooftop highlighted
as the light hits it from behind.
Light
and Figures, Penzance
700mm x 900mm, oil on canvas
Although
painted mainly in the summer and autumn, Mike has caught
the feeling of being in Mount's bay at any time of year.
Using a mixture of subtle blues and greys Mike creates
an almost monochromatic vision of the bay. He handles
the paint with great confidence combining brushwork
with palette knife technique to make everything from
expressive splashes of light on the water to tiny marks
that indicate figures on the beach.
These
figures play a large part in Mike's collection of works
for this show. If they were taken away from his paintings
they would become purely abstract surfaces. The figures
give a sense of scale and a sense of place as we imagine
ourselves walking on that beach on that beautiful, sunny,
exciting day.
Cath
Wallace
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