The Monday Muse

Art, Artists, and Cornwall - Three words that surely belong together!

"Look east in the morning and west in the evening and the “light” of West Cornwall will create for you an outline; a silhouette surrounded by bright sky or dazzling sea. The familiar shape of a headland or a wader feeding at the edge of the water."

With the Christmas Season upon us the local towns are all been dressed in their festive finery. None more so than the little fishing village of Newlyn to the west of Truro, where every year they put up a spectacular Christmas Lights display (see picture below). 

Impressive though these twinkling lights are and I for one would not get through the dark winter nights without their merry glow, it is the power of natures light that is the most captivating to me and must have been to the ancient people who lived and and worked this remote land. I think this is because we are surrounded by the sea and the light bounces off it and mingles with the waves - I could watch its dance across the surface for hours!

The quote above was taken from the website of Cornwall based Artist Rob Braybrooks who specialises in hand-crafted contemporary art and custom-built interiors. This unique design work features delicate 3D reliefs which play with the changing light and the silhouette effect he speaks about.

Check out his website http://robbraybrooksimages.blogspot.co.uk/

The romantic landscape and the unique quality of light has long attracted artists to Cornwall from as early as the nineteenth century, when led by Stanhope Forbes the Newlyn School was formed. Even one of the greatest light painters himself, Turner famously paid a visit. By the 1920s, Cornwall had become a full on bohemian artist's colony. Even to this day Cornwall has the largest concentration of artists outside of London living and working here. When Tate St Ives opened in 1993 it was official confirmation of St Ives's status as a major cultural centre. This building is well worth a visit as it has a giant colourful glass window designed by the artist Patrick Heron and views out to sea to die for.

I hope you enjoy these silhouette pictures that my Husband took when we first moved down here - they were what I thought about when I first read the quote.