Arty Day Away - St Agnes - Padstow
The day had arrived to go to the Printers. I always valued Original Art as just that… “Original”. But when you have a great painting and people want to enjoy it, good quality Giclee Prints must be the way to go, making them a limited edition.
I had been recommended MonkeyPuzzle Repro Art, so took a trip down to St Agnes to visit them. Situated right on the coast in an Eco Park, we came across them more by luck than design, as we came off the main road and travelled the country lanes towards the coast, keeping to the high ground with the Atlantic glimpsed through hedges of gorse and the blossom of blackthorn.
The people at Monkey Puzzle Repro Art were very helpful, but due to costs and being a new direction, I limited my initial print to two giclee’s and four reproductions of my images for cards.
Although still in Cornwall, it feels very different the further down the coast you go. Wilder, more exposed as the county narrows and the distance from the North Coast to the South Coast is only around 15 miles. This is tin mining country, a heavy industry of the 1800’s and a big part of Cornwall’s heritage. The mining houses cling to the side of steep valleys and the spoils have been taken over by gorse splashing yellow all the way down to the sea.
Heading back to Newquay, I collected some paintings from a gallery in Newquay and we took the coast road back to Padstow. One of my favourite drives, this coast drive takes you past some of Cornwall’s nicest beaches including Watergate Bay, Bedruthan Steps, Mawgan Porth, Porthcothnan, Treyarnon and Haryln.
April showers were coming in off the Atlantic and the light was great for photos. Trevose Lighthouse was picked out in the sunlight.
We arrived in Padstow and after a lunch of Rick Steins Fish and Chips (which never disappoints), we took the opportunity to browse one or two of the galleries there and realized it had not been renamed PadStein for nothing. Rick and his promoting of the area through his cookery programmes and restaurant has made an incredible impact on the economy of the area reflected by the people visiting and plethera of upmarket shops. This included “The Drang” a newish gallery full of Damien Hirst, Peter Blake and with many other well known artists on their lists, it was very impressive. Admittedly the Hirst and Blake works were prints and probably executed by their minions but the fact that they were in Padstow hanging on a gallery wall was quite amazing.
Although way out of my league, it’s nice to know that ART is such a big feature in Cornwall.