Art at the Beach

13/09/2026

From Mawgan Porth to Zoom… look what happened! 🎨❤️

A chance meeting at Art at the Beach in Mawgan Porth, Cornwall led to something rather special.

This amazing 10-year-old artist wanted to carry on learning when she went home, so we moved our art lessons onto Zoom. And these are three of the drawings she has produced since… a figure study, a still life and a portrait of her mum.

What makes them even more remarkable is that I haven’t touched any of them. I couldn’t even if I wanted to… we’re working through a screen! Every mark you see is hers.

Only a few weeks ago, many of the principles she is now using were completely new to her. She is learning to understand light and shadow, three-dimensional form, reflection, perspective, proportion and how what we actually see can be very different from what our brain tells us is there.

That’s the part I love. Rather than teaching someone to copy one particular picture, I teach the underlying mechanics that allow them to understand why something looks the way it does. Once those foundations begin to make sense, they can be applied to almost anything an artist chooses to draw.

And I think that smile says rather a lot about how she feels about the results! ❤️

Next week we move on to painting, putting those same principles into colour… so watch this space.

From a chance meeting on a beach in Mawgan Porth, Cornwall, to continuing her art lessons from home via Zoom… I cannot wait to see where she takes it next.

Photographs shared with her mum’s permission.

12/09/2026

There’s something rather lovely about seeing a granny and grandson learning and painting together. ❤️🎨

A breezy, sunny day at Mawgan Porth, Cornwall, two little seascapes taking shape, plenty of giggles, and that wonderful view in front of us.

But I think their faces tell the story better than I ever could. Pure smiles and happiness. 😊

Painting together isn’t only about the artwork you take home. It’s about sharing an experience, learning something new together and making memories along the way.

What a gorgeous pair they were to teach. ☀️🌊🎨❤️

11/09/2026

From the fundamentals to finding your own way 🎨⛴️

Over the summer, you’ve often seen me teaching and painting at Mawgan Porth in Cornwall, sharing the work of people taking their first lesson and beginning to understand some of the core mechanics behind creating art.

But that’s only one part of what I do.

I also teach from my home, particularly with local students, as well as online via Zoom with people across the UK and around the world. And some students continue working with me over many years as their own artwork and individual style develop.

This gentleman is a wonderful example.

He lives in Falmouth and has worked with me for a number of years. Every few months he arrives with a portfolio of paintings he has been developing. We look through them together, discuss what is working, what could be taken further and how he might approach the ideas he is planning next.

He paints all sorts of subjects, very much in his own style, although he definitely has a passion for ships and Falmouth Harbour.

Here, with a pilot cutter standing by, tugs manoeuvre the Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel RFA Mounts Bay into Falmouth Docks on a misty morning, working from a photograph by David Rowe.

Painted in acrylic on canvas, the observation and detail are extraordinary. At first glance, you could easily mistake it for a photograph. I’m so proud of his incredible progress and the standard his artwork has now reached.

Importantly, though, it remains completely his work.

That is what learning the fundamentals of art is really about. Not learning to copy my way of painting, but understanding the mechanics well enough to take them away and use them with whatever subject, medium or style interests you.

The fundamentals are the starting point. Where you take them afterwards is entirely your own. 🎨

10/09/2026

A painting often seems to find its owner…

This lovely gentleman saw my painting Pebbles in the Stream at Mawgan Porth and walked away.

He hadn’t even spoken to me. There was no conversation and no persuasion. He simply saw the painting, liked it, but knew he didn’t really have the wall space for it.

But something about it stayed with him… and he came back.

I’ve found over the years that a painting often seems to find its owner. I paint it, but after that it really has very little to do with me. Someone sees it, something connects… and sometimes they simply can’t quite leave it behind.

And here he is, the proud owner of his new acquisition.

One of the things I love most about being an artist in Cornwall. ❤️

09/09/2026

Two years later… and back for more! 🎨💙

It was so lovely to welcome this student back to Mawgan Porth, Cornwall, two years after her first lesson with me.

This time we explored some different techniques and ideas… from pebbles beneath flowing water to a wonderfully colourful Cornish seascape.

Outside it may have been windy and damp, but that certainly didn’t dampen the creativity. I particularly loved watching that smile grow as the paintings developed. 😊

Coming back isn’t about repeating what you did before. It’s about adding another layer of understanding, experimenting with new techniques and discovering what else you can do with paint.

And two very different little artworks went home at the end of the session. 🎨🌊🪨

Sometimes the best measure of progress is wanting to come back and discover more.

08/09/2026

A little art connoisseur to watch… 🎨

I first met this lovely young man over a year ago, when he came and stood beside me while I was painting on the beach at Mawgan Porth here in Cornwall and asked if he could purchase an artwork.

And he really did mean business. ❤️

He took his time. We talked about the paintings, what he liked, where he might hang his chosen artwork and, eventually, we entered into some very serious negotiations… rather reminiscent of a certain chocolate advert! 🍫💰 A deal was struck, money changed hands and off he went, absolutely delighted with his first acquisition from me.

I never forgot him. In fact, whenever I thought about our encounter over the following year, it put a smile on my face. There was something so wonderfully earnest about him… the way he stood so seriously considering each painting, asking questions and thinking through his decision.

So imagine my delight when, over a year later, there he was again beside me at Mawgan Porth. I recognised him immediately, and it was an absolute joy to see him again.

And once again, he had come to make another acquisition for his growing art collection. 🎨

I suggested that the paintings I had with me that day might be a little large, so I brought along a selection the following day especially for him. After equally careful consideration, this is the one he chose… and another deal was struck. 🍫💰

Even better, he is now considering taking some art lessons with me so that, alongside collecting artwork, he can begin creating his own.

I genuinely think this young art connoisseur may be one to watch. Perhaps one day we’ll see him valuing artworks on television, curating an important collection or working in a wonderful gallery. Whatever he does, that thoughtful eye, curiosity and wonderfully clear decision-making are already there.

Such a joy and a pleasure to meet him again… and I’m rather proud to now have two of my paintings in his collection. ❤️🎨

Photo taken in his mother’s presence and shared with his mother’s permission.

07/09/2026

The smiles say it all! 🌈🎨😊

It may have been a dull day at Mawgan Porth, but these fabulous smiles certainly illuminated the stage at the Merrymoor Inn… and when the Cornish weather forgot to provide a rainbow, this young gentleman thoughtfully brought his own! 🌈😊

Three artists, three paintings, plenty of laughter and lots of colour… turning a grey day into a very bright one. 🎨🌊💙

A huge thank you to the Merrymoor Inn for once again giving us such a welcoming place to paint when the Cornish weather had other ideas. ❤️

06/09/2026

06/09/2026

Still Summer at Mawgan Porth ☀️🌊🎨

1 metre wide × 50 cm high, painted in acrylic.

A painting capturing one of those beautiful days at Mawgan Porth, Cornwall… blue skies, sunlight across the water, reflections running through the stream and the colours of this wonderful bay.

In the video you can watch the painting gradually come to life, from the early stages through to the finished artwork.

There’s something rather special about painting a landscape while actually standing within it… responding to the light, the sea and the changing colours rather than working from a photograph.

Still Summer at Mawgan Porth… a metre of beautiful bay and beautiful Cornwall captured on canvas. 💙☀️🌊