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This is
the third leg of an ambitious journey by artist Amanda Hoskin
to walk and paint her way round the complete 258 mile Cornish
Coast Path. For those who have been following Amanda's route,
last year her exhibition at Beside the Wave gallery showed
the work inspired by the walk from Padstow past St Ives to
Cape Cornwall, featuring the North coast.
This year
her travels have taken her past some of Cornwall's most dramatic
landmarks; Land's End, St Michael's Mount and the UK's most
southerly point at the Lizard Peninsula. It has also been
a journey of contrasting landscapes, from the dramatic cliffs
of the West Penwith coastline to the gentler shores of the
Helford and Fal rivers.
Using
her own very particular technique combining delicate marks
alongside splatters of paint and drifts of colour smudged
by hand, Amanda has created a exciting new collection of work
for Beside the Wave. This represents the variety of landscapes
and seascapes on this particular route as well as the changing
colours of the seasons and exhilaration of different weather
conditions.
Beginning
her walk in early summer, Amanda paints the brighter days
of blue skies contrasting with the wild yellow flowers in
the fields conveying the warmth of the sunshine. By mid summer
the dark cloudscapes that heralded a wet summer make for dramatic
lighting effects in Amanda's paintings. She has used this
to heighten the dramatic nature of the locations depicted
including the cliffs at Land's End and the Lizard.
There
are several places on this particular journey that are entirely
new to Amanda's work including St Michael's Mount and Marazion.
Amanda has taken on the challenge of depicting St Michael's
Mount, which is such an iconic landmark in Cornwall, by painting
it from a distance with the Gulval fields in the foreground,
leaving the Mount to appear as a mysterious shape on the horizon.
Amanda has also become fascinated by Marazion Marshes, a place
not often painted by Cornish artists. It is rich in flora
and fauna and different textures, perfect for Amanda's style
of painting, in particular her mixed media pieces.
This year,
Amanda has also been changing her approach to the overall
composition of her paintings, with some taking on a long narrow
format which act as panoramas. Due to the unpredictable nature
of the weather in 2008 when Amanda was walking and painting
many of the works in this show, the emphasis is on the sky,
particularly where it dominates the view at Land's End and
Lizard Point.
One of
Amanda's favourite places to paint on this part of her walk
is the Lamorna Valley and Lamorna Cove. Several years ago
she painted this much visited gem in the summer but this time
she has captured it earlier in the year in the Spring when
the daffodils are in bloom reflecting the Spring element of
this year's show.
Amanda's
method is to walk the section of the Coast Path she has chosen,
and then return to it later in the year to make sketches on
the spot, usually in watercolour, of her favourite places.
Her sketchbook includes some stunningly detailed watercolours
and drawings. This will also be on display providing a wonderful
insight into the creative development of her larger oils on
paper and board.
The whole
collection is a beautiful, sometimes delicate and at other
times dramatic representation of Cornwall's diverse coast
through the seasons.
To receive
a catalogue of paintings or more information about the exhibition
please contact Beside the Wave gallery@beside-the-wave.co.uk
or (01326) 211132. Catalogue paintings will be available to
view on the gallery website www.beside-the-wave.co.uk a week
prior to the exhibition, with the full collection of work
available to view on the gallery website from 20th March.
Cath Wallace
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