Island Hopping in Search of Artists

A few minutes after arriving on the Isles of Scilly one starts to understand why it is such a popular destination for artists to visit as well as to live – the colours jump out at you – vivid greens, blues and turquoises with lines of white, white sand separating the bigger blocks of colours. The sun on the sea, the reflection creating an incredible light over the fascinating landscape of small islands, sea and of course boats – yachts, dinghies, small ferries, big ferries and some cargo boats. Sea life is plentiful – seals, puffins, dolphins if you are lucky. On land the temperate climate ensures verdant growth of all sorts of plants not often seen on the mainland – huge succulents with exotic flowers and agapanthus with their beautiful blue or white flowers. All adds up to an artists dream whether you are a landscape artist, a seascape artist or indeed specialise in wildflowers or sea creatures.

So, it wasn’t a great surprise to find a wealth of galleries and artists’ studios spread over the islands – and with the abundance of subject matter comes a huge variety of artwork.

St Mary’s is the main island, the hub, where everyone arrives either by small plane, helicopter or ferry. Access to all the other islands is by boat only. The main shopping street in Hugh Town, St Mary’s has a gallery called Tamarisk which displays a selection of glass, ceramics, prints and a few original oil paintings. Everything is beautiful displayed – I loved the driftwood used to create display areas – but it is definitely aimed at the general tourist rather than an art lover. Just around the corner is the Silver Street Studio and Gallery, stocking over 100 original paintings as well as gift ideas. www.stevesherris.com

Art lovers need to carry on and go a bit further afield, but it is worth it! Firstly – as the other galleries and studios are dotted along the coast paths and small lanes, they are all a walk away – never very far – but it’s a chance to see the views that inspire the resident artists day after day, month after month, year after year. If you can’t paint, like me, you will certainly wish that you could!

Walking north/west of Hugh Town between Porthmellion and Porthloo, there is a cluster of small galleries. Rather frustratingly they all open at different times, but it is worth going back if they are not open! Early afternoon is probably your best bet!

Peter M Smith has been painting on the Scillies since 1965 and has exhibited widely on the mainland. He specialises in seascapes, working in oil. He says about his work;  “The actual painting, both figurative and abstract in brush and knife, is mostly worked in the privacy of my garden from sketches and memory”. He sells very affordable prints and cards of his work. www.petermacdonaldsmith-artist.co.uk

Almost next door is Glandore Gallery www.glandore.co.uk . The gallery offers new original artwork by Stephen Morris as well as his giclée prints, lithograph prints and cards. He also sells a range of cards and prints of watercolours by his late aunt, Nan Heath. Stephen works mostly in watercolours and ink. The views from the gallery are stunning – looking towards Samson, Tresco and Bryher. Stephen also has accommodation and can organise art holidays and tuition. He is so friendly and welcoming and if you are not in the market for original art, his bundles of cards are great value.

My favourite art experience on St Mary’s has to be the walk to Old Town to John Bordeaux Pottery www.johnbordeaux.co.uk I have never seen pottery like this. John, locally known as the ‘Alchemist’, creates extraordinary glazes using local minerals and adds precious and semi-precious metals during multiple firings. The resulting colours are amazing, and the pieces are as wacky as John. A few minutes in John’s company is illuminating, hilarious and exhausting. The stories are extraordinary – some difficult to believe, but it is all part of the Bordeaux experience. The studio is wonderfully chaotic. His beautifully crafted pieces are crammed on to dusty shelves – giving the appearance of an old junk shop – but junk it is not! This is art at its best – not just pleasing to the eye, but a unique and memorable experience. A small piece of John’s work – eg a mug or a small bowl is very affordable, the more expensive large works can be shipped to you and will be a real talking piece.

Favourite Scilly Artist

My favourite artist has to be Richard Pearce on Bryher. 15 minutes on the ferry and then a 10-minute walk across the island takes you to Great Par Beach, and on the edge of this incredibly beautiful, secluded beach is Richard’s studio. The old wooden boathouse dating back to the 1880s has a window at the far end looking out across the beach to the aquamarine sea. This is the studio end – and you can see why! The rest of the building is gallery space displaying his stunning oil paintings, the vividness of the colours almost overwhelming. Before I came to The Scillies, I had liked his work but not really believed his colours – but I was wrong – I was seeing those colours for myself. A note on the work bench said that if he wasn’t there he was probably painting on the beach, or maybe on another island. There was an honesty box if you wanted to buy cards – and his phone number if you wanted to buy a painting, for instructions on using the card machine! More of his work was available in the gallery in the middle of the village with a lovely selection of art inspired gifts – I think his wife was in charge of that!

Richard says of his work; “We are surrounded by vast reaches of indigo, cobalt, cerulean, turquoise, deepest marine, palest sapphire ….. endless blue. I do paint the grey days. People don’t like them so much. When I started painting people wondered what I was doing looking out to the sea all day. I was just taking it all in …. Sitting, listening, watching.” www.bryherartist.com

So, if you are fortunate to be off to the Scilly Isles this summer don’t miss exploring the galleries and studios on the islands. The islands’ artists rely on us, the tourists, for their livelihoods – and you won’t be disappointed – trust me – I am, after all, The Trusted Art Guide!