The studio · St Ives, Cornwall
A net loft above the harbour
Two rooms at the top of a fisherman’s loft on Wharf Road, with a north window over the water. This is where every painting begins and ends.
N° 01 — The place
North light, salt air and the sound of the boats
The loft was built in the 1880s to mend and store nets. The floorboards still smell faintly of tar when the sun is on them.
The big north window looks straight over the harbour, which means the light on the easel stays steady all day and the subject is always there when I look up.
N° 02 — The process
From a morning study to a finished painting
01
Morning studies
Small panels painted from life in under an hour, before the light goes flat.
02
Choosing
Out of every twenty studies, one or two are worth taking further. They stay pinned to the wall for weeks.
03
Linen
The chosen idea is drawn onto sized and primed Belgian linen, then built up in thin layers over six to eight weeks.
04
Resting
Finished paintings dry for three months, then get a light retouch varnish before they leave the studio.
N° 03 — Materials
Simple, slow and made to last
Belgian linen, rabbit-skin glue size and an oil ground I mix myself. Paints from small makers in Cornwall and the Netherlands, mostly earth colours and a few strong blues.
Frames are made by a joiner in Penryn from English oak and ash, finished by hand.
N° 04 — Visit
Open studio: 6–7 December, 11am to 5pm
Studio visits by appointment, Tuesday to Saturday
N° 05 — Around the studio
