Posts Tagged 'Moving to Cornwall'

Catherine Lucktaylor and her mermaid creations

Published March 31, 2012 Cornish Artists , Cornish Produce Leave a Comment
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Today I would like to introduce to you Catherine Lucktaylor, an artist who relocated to Cornwall 3 years ago. Here is her story…

 

I have been a practicing artist for over 20 years and three years ago I took the plunge and relocated to Cornwall. I now live in West Cornwall surrounded by the sea, ancient stone circles and sacred wells.

My love of Cornwall began about 12 years ago when I put my bicycle and camping gear on the train and headed to Penzance. I spent a week exploring West Penwith and fell in love with the wildness of the land, the beautiful turquoise sea and stunning cliffs. The people I met were very friendly, helpful and welcoming. I particularly loved the Mermaid of Zennor, which is a beautiful carving of a mermaid on a pew in the church at Zennor. I created a mixed media piece inspired by the carving and have been making mermaids ever since.

My creations include beautiful and sensuous ceramic sculptures, pots and jewellery. I take inspiration from the ancient myths and legends of Cornwall which I blend with the sacred art and earth based spirituality of my West African heritage. My elegant sculptures and ceramics are designed to create an aura of magic and ethereal beauty to enhance any home or garden.

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I always hand build my sculptures, pots and jewellery individually, so each piece is unique. I have recently been making raku fired ceramics. Raku is an ancient Japanese technique which has been adapted to modern times. The pieces are fired to around 900 degrees centigrade in a specially made gas fired kiln. They are removed from the kiln when they are red hot and plunged into sawdust. This dramatic process gives the beautiful effects unique to raku. The thermal shock causes the glaze to craze and enables the smoke to penetrate the clay body.

I am especially pleased with my latest ‘rock pool bowls’ and ‘landscape pots’ and I am currently working on a private commission for a mermaid garden sculpture.

To see more of Catherine’s  magical artwork visit www.catherinelucktaylor.com

Marsha Drew – Jewellery in silver, inspired by the North Cornwall coast

Published March 10, 2012 Cornish Artists , Cornish Produce , Photography , Places to visit Leave a Comment
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On my trail of Cornish artists and crafts people I have found the wonderful Marsha Drew, an independent jeweller, designing and individually hand crafting every piece of work, inspired by natural forms found near to her home on the North Cornwall coast.
Here is what Marsha has to say about her work and her life working in Cornwall…
” OK, where do I start….
 
I was born in the good old Treliske hospital many moons ago and lived in Falmouth for my first few years before my folks moved up to Gloucestershire. Fast forward a few years and I found myself heading back down into Cornwall every summer to work and now I’m back in full effect, living and working in my beloved Cornwall.
 
Living up in “The Shire” was brilliant, being so close to the Cotswold hills, beautiful little villages and amazing woodlands. But its not Kernow, there’s no sea up there and, I think that’s what I love most about Cornwall is the sea. Strangely enough I don’t surf and rarely go in, I prefer to observe and gain inspiration that way.
 
I’d been making jewellery for a few years, nothing spectacular, just gemstones and glass beads and was selling it at a few small festivals and events at various locations in the South West. In 2008 I discovered the Silversmithing and Jewellery (BA Hons) Degree at Truro College and spent the next three years immersed in learning how to make real jewellery.
 
My Foldform Collection is the result of my work and research during the final year at Uni. Foldforming is a relatively new system of shaping sheet metal by folding, forging then opening to reveal beautiful organic forms. The inspiration for this collection comes from the ocean waves and as I live in North Cornwall, very close to the sea its hard not to be influenced by the big blue. I’m lucky enough to live in between the sea and a small woodland and both these influences can be seen throughout my work”.
Check out some of Masha’s lovely work below or visit her website here.
 

Turning Leaf Ring

Riptide Studs

Turning Leaf Earrings

Riptide Bracelet

Turning Leaf Bangle

Double Drops Pendant

” I take all my photos on the beach which is just at the end of the lane where I live and couldn’t wish for a better photography studio”. All images © Marsha Drew

If you are visiting Rock, Polzeath and the North Cornwall coast then you must pop into The Winter Gallery at Polzeath to see Marsha’s work and other Cornish artists work.

Cath Bull’s brave leap of faith to St Just…

Published February 20, 2012 Cornish Artists , Cornish Produce , Places to visit Leave a Comment
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In my quest to show off some of Cornwall’s artistic talent of which there is plenty I stumbled across jeweller Cath Bull from St Just, nr Penzance. A fellow listener to Radio 4 as she drifts off to sleep trying to decipher the shipping forecast and what might be brewing in the Atlantic.

Although not Cornish and only having lived in the county a short time this is the story of one ladies leap of darkness to the west of Cornwall but fingers crossed the future is looking bright…

‘I was not born in Cornwall, Leeds was my birthplace. I have lived in various places in the UK with the last 25 or so in Lancaster. I moved to St Just, near Lands End, October 2010. This was the outcome of being diagnosed with a form of arthritis, and neither the health service or benefits system seemingly being able to cope with the intermittent nature of the illness, with my families help and support decided to move down here. It was a leap in the dark, and after some admittedly shaky moments, the ferocity of the Atlantic storms took me by surprise, Lancaster is relatively sheltered by comparison, and the fierce winter, being practically snowed in, I now feel it was and is a good place to be.

I trained initially as a Goldsmith, gaining a National Association of Goldsmiths Diploma, then went on to gain a BA in jewellery design at Birmingham. I have worked in other areas, bookbinding, production pottery, textiles, graphic design for screen printing, at the point where PC’s were just becoming widely available. For now I have two outlets and am hoping to build on that. One is the Arts and Crafts Gallery in St Just, and the other is Bohemia in Market Jew Street, Penzance. I don’t as yet have a website, but my details can be found on www.cornwall-arts-and-crafts.co.uk under jewellery, and also www.landsendchamber.co.uk.

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The jewellery I make has changed. It has become more colourful and freer. Walks on the beaches nearby with my camera have fuelled more ideas that I hope to carry out soon. The round rug is a new departure. It was inspired by walking down the Cot Valley, October just gone, in an unseasonably warm spell. The sea and sky were summer blue tones but the bracken had turned so there were also the rich russets and rusts of autumn. And then the soft glow of lichen on the rocks. I didn’t have my camera with me that day, but when I got home I dug out all the colours and started working on it. This is still a work in progress. The light down here is at first overwhelming, and even on a winters day can be blindingly bright. But being a jeweller I love all things that glisten and gleam. And the granite does just that in the sunlight. I hope I can carry on working and making things for other people to enjoy and feel quite eager to crack on with the ideas that come through living in this incredible landscape.

 


When a farmer’s daughter from Godrevy met an artist…

Published January 19, 2012 Cornish Artists , Cornish Produce , Stories Leave a Comment
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I have been in touch with some artists in Cornwall asking them about their life in Cornwall and how they are inspired by the Cornish landscape.

First up is Alan Furneaux, an artist who has moved to the county of Cornwall from the South of England and although nearly 300 miles from London is making a great success of his career. Here is a little bit of Alan’s Story…

Lorraine and I and the children moved to Cornwall from Brighton 7 yrs ago. I had resisted the move for many years but finally succumbed. Lorraine was a farmers daughter being brought up on the farm at Godrevy. So my first introduction to Cornwall was Godrevy Lighthouse and that stunning vista over to St Ives. I absolutely loved Cornwall but my business as a professional painter supplying the markets in London just made me feel nervous about moving when the art business is so precarious anyway.

Penzance Saturday

We made the move however and now live in Penzance. We have a nice house near the town centre ,swimming pool and beaches so we are in heaven. My studio is in the garage next door and my business has not suffered. In fact I am constantly asked for paintings of Cornwall,  and the funny thing is that image of Godrevy Lighthouse is still a current theme in my work.

Tabby Cat, Godrevy

Lorraine works as a CPN and I joined the Association of British Naive Artists.  My work is published by many publishers including Marks and Spencers, Unicef and Art Cards Cornwall.

Soon after we moved here and with the children settled at School I became seriously ill with a rare condition called Devics which is similar to MS, I was paralyzed and spent 4 months in hospital learning how to walk. I came out in a wheelchair but now am pretty much ok having had only one serious relapse. I live with the prospect of more relapses so my energy goes in creating the very best paintings I can while I am able. I exhibit in some great Galleries including Thompsons in London, David Curzon in Wimbledon and Blackheath Gallery. I have only one outlet here in Marazion at the Market House Gallery a great little gallery which hosts the very best Cornish Artists so I am very proud to be there.

Porthminster Beach, St Ives

The boys are back

St Michaels mount with palms

Check out more of Alan’s work on his website www.alanfurneaux.com and follow his blog here. Ive been humming the song he wrote for his wife for the past five minutes but I will let you find that for yourself!

ALL IMAGES © ALAN FURNEAUX

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