Braving the elementsNEIL DAVIES

Braving the elementsNE IL DAVIES

13 July – 7 September 2013

NEW CRAFTSMAN GALLERY24 Fore Street · St Ives

Cornwall TR26 1HE

01736 795652

www.newcraftsmanstives.com

The full exhibition can be viewed on our website.

All work is for sale from receipt of this catalogue.

Cover : First Spring gorse on the path to Treen Cove 122 x 122 cm

Although meaning to look at skies today, it is the gorse which insists ongrabbing my attention. Suddenly it is everywhere, last week a few scrubby,winter-battered bushes, today a riot of gold and yellow, almost pulsatingwith intensity of colour. So for once the sky can take a back seat.

NEIL DAVIES – Braving the elements

The theme of this collection of work came to me one day

when I was out walking up on the moor. It was a particu-

larly wild day: it was difficult to remain upright in the

almost gale force wind, and the ice-cold rain was sheeting

sideways, needle-sharp, so that I had to turn up my collar

and cover my face as best I could with hat and scarf.

Luckily for me, this was just temporary: the landscape, the

wildlife, the vegetation, has to take whatever nature

throws at it, adapt and survive.

In the far west of Cornwall, this amazing place that is

West Penwith, nature is at its most elemental.Violent

storms blow in from the Atlantic with little warning,

howling wind and rain lash across the land, waves batter

the coastline, and, in settled weather, the sun beats down

on the earth, which has little protection from trees or

woodland. It is this weather which defines the landscape

around us.

Looking around, it is easy to spot the survivors in this

unique environment.Trees are notably absent, the thin soil

covering the granite bedrock too sparse for their roots.

Small hardy Belted Galloways graze the heath land,

oblivious to the elements. Elder bushes abound, their

branches twisted into strange contortions by the

prevailing wind.Tamarisk, salt-loving and hardy, tolerates

Low clouds, Cape Cornwall122 x 165 cm

Looking across from Kenidjack, no wind for once.The clouds hang in the sky, suspended above the Cape,displaying a wide palette of colours from inky blues and violet to copper and gold. It is eerily still.All works are oil on board

even the wildest Atlantic storms. Bracken, heather and a

host of other low-growing plants populate the moorland,

pink thrift and sea campion cling to the cliff edges, and, for

me, most iconic of all, the vibrant gorse, triumphant and

flamboyant, laughing in the face of the storm, a true

survivor.

Some humans, too, have to endure these conditions.

Granite, strong, tough, and resilient, is their building

material of choice, and these dwellings can be seen in

isolated, windswept places across Penwith, standing firm

for hundreds of years.

This spring, wild, cold and windy, has been by all

accounts a bad one, although it has given me plenty of

inspiration for this body of work. But still, against the odds,

first the daffodils, then the bluebells, campion, stitchwort,

have all struggled through, the gorse is in full bloom, and

the continuity of the landscape is assured.

As I write this in mid-June, the wind is raging again,

howling through the rafters of my studio perched high up

not far from the coast, rain hammers against the windows,

buffeting the whole building, and I reflect that my studio is

in fact a survivor too, braving the elements.

Neil Davies, June 2013

Cornish hedge and beyond61 x 76 cm

A spring walk from Poldhu down to the cove and along the coast path.The buzzards are about today,wheeling overhead, and we stop to admire a pair of pigs of some ancient breed, over the wall.

In the distance looms Carn Galver, still clothed in last winter’s bracken.

Cottage through the gorse at Poldhu61 x 76 cm

Early spring, and the gorse is turning a vibrant gold. Here it practically forms a hedge,innocent yellow buds disguising the prickles underneath. In the distance is a glimpse of human habitation

– a lone white cottage basking amidst the vegetation.

Shafts of light through Winter sky122 x 122 cm

Standing at Priest Cove, sky watching again.Today the clouds have come togetherto form a giant bruise hovering over the landscape. Suddenly a shaft of light breaks through,lighting up a section of the Cape, and although it is bitterly cold, I am reluctant to leave.

Gathering storm clouds61 x 76 cm

A wintry day, bleached of colour.The wind is much in evidence, blustering across Kenidjack Castle,continuously changing the landscape, breaking up the sky. Land and sea, colours merging,

seem to converge on each other, so it's hard to see where each begins and ends.Gulls and other birds are buffeted around, and I can hardly stand upright. Hopefully this is the storm before the calm.

From the shoreline, Priest Cove46 x 61 cm

Looking out to sea, watching the clouds racing as the wind gets up.The sea is choppy, there's a strong smell of ozone, and I am struck as ever

by the wild beauty of the north Cornish coast.

Winter light floods across the moor46 x 58 cm

Up on Lady Downs, determined to have our Sunday walk in spite of the wind and cold, lashing rain.The boys are bouncing with pent-up energy, it is boggy and peaty underfoot, and the occasional tussockknocks us off balance.The landscape is bleak, stark, but wildly beautiful. We look longingly across at the

lone granite cottage and decide to head for home.

Along the coast path46 x 61 cm

Brisk walk down toTreen Cove. Spring greens are appearing, blotting out the browns and yellows of winter.Sun comes out briefly and picks out the whitewashed cottages ofTreen behind.

Looking forward to a pint and a packet of posh crisps atThe Gurnard’s Head on the way home.

Storm blowing in61 x 76 cm

Wind picking up sharply, blue sky and high white clouds which were there half an hour agohave been replaced by dark storm clouds racing across the sky, obliterating the sun.

The sea has turned from a benevolent, gently shifting body of water into a restless creature,tumbling over itself, glinting with grey hostility.The headland is engulfed in low cloud,

Nature is holding its breath, and a storm now seems inevitable.

Perched on the edge above crashing waves79 x 102 cm

Family walk roundTreen, following the coast path. Stopped to look back at the cottageround which we had just followed the snaking path, and realised how close to the edge it is,

standing precariously but defiantly above the waves crashing on the cliffs below.

Right

Light pouring over Sennen 122 x 122 cm

On the beach, watching a couple of brave surfers.A recent downpour is clearing away,and the sun is trying to re-establish itself.There is a sudden break in the clouds,

and sunlight streams through like liquid gold, bouncing off the wet sand and lifting the spirits.

Dakota Farm, alone on the horizon 61 x 76 cm

Driving across the moor from Penzance to Zennor, my eyes are drawn, as always, to the cluster of buildingswhich make up Dakota Farm, reputedly haunted. Up here amidst this timeless, ever-changing yet constant landscape,

I find myself believing all the Cornish folklore.This land belongs to nature and the ancient spirits,and humans seem out of place here.

Storm clearing over Porthledden79 x 102 cm

After a stroll down Kenidjack valley, being blustered and rained on all the way,we reach Porthledden as the storm is abating. Coppers and umbers drift across the sky,but it is still bleak and wintry.Time to head back up the valley for Sunday lunch at the pub.

Small red fishing boat61 x 76 cm

A stormy day at Priest Cove.The sky is darkening, but there are still glimmers of light catchingthe waves near the shore. Not many boats here today, but this little fishing boat catches my eye,

safely hauled up from the approaching storm.

Deep blue sky with drifting cloud43 x 43 cm

Late spring, and winter has relinquished its hold at last.There is heat in the sun,and the swallows are darting around catching flies.The sky is largely a rich, velvety blue,

patches of white cloud cutting across it, creating an ever-changing geometrical pattern like a kaleidoscope.

Walking the dog46 x 61 cm

On the beach on a rare hot summer’s day, watching a lifeguards’ pick-up driving through the surf.A man and his dog are having a great time in the shallows – the stick is thrown again and again,

the dog retrieves it without fail, and neither seems to tire of the game.

Weathered field granite with gorse and bluebells46 x 61 cm

Heading up to Carnstabba through the fields at Consols, we come across this lump of granitesitting immovably in the middle of the field, decked out in all its spring glory like a wedding guest.

Covered in soft green and brown lichen, encircled by bluebells, and topped bya small, bright gorse bush, it is the essence of the Penwith landscape.

Galloways grazing, Rosemergy30 x 35 cm

Early summer, swallows darting around.The landscape is predominantly green now, and I stopto survey the Belted Galloways grazing in their field of lush grass.They are hardy creatures,

and can be seen dotted across the Penwith landscape, keeping down the bracken.A pair of buzzards mew high above me, wings outstretched, and a cockerel crows in the distance.

Surely this must be the epitome of the pastoral idyll.

Setting sun over Land's End46 x 43 cm

At last, a beautiful, warm spring day. After a day spent walking the landscape, I have ventured further west,with a flask and a slice of cake, and sit watching the sun go down. Light show over, I head for home.

Early Spring, first flash of gorse 30 x 35 cm

Out with my sketch book and camera, late March.Still really cold, but the gorse is braving the elements.One small bush glows brightly amidst the darkercolours of earth, bracken and granite, livening up thewhole landscape.

Living on the moor30 x 35 cm

April, sunny but still very cold, a feature of spring thisyear.A solitary grey granite cottage squats darkly, instark contrast to the emerging colours of nature.

Another day begins30 x 35 cm

Awake really early this morning, and the day looked promising, so headed down to St. Ivesto watch the sun rise over the bay. Most of the town is still asleep, except for a few fisherman

going about their business.All is as it should be, at least in this corner of the world.

NEW CRAFTSMAN GALLERY