The seaside town of St. Ives in Cornwall, UK

[Mike A]

I've been working hard at a painting of the small town of St. Ives on the Cornish coast in England. The view is from the art Gallery, Tate st. Ives, looking over the rooftops and part of the beach. The town has been an artists' colony for many, many years - and gets very, very crowded in the summer months. It's famous for the quality of its light - which is why artists flock to it.

As the rooftops recede into the distance, the blocks of colour become smaller, and more and more abstract.

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[eighty+]

Hi Mike. Great.? My only comment. Is it doesn’t look like a Paiinting. :D:D : MORE AS SEEN ON A DRAWING BOAED OK. JUST MY THOUHTS
CIAO. PLOOS. HASTA LA VISTA. IVAYA CON DIOS. SLAINTE. �� �� ��

[Mike A]

I would call my work illustrations, rather than paintings. I like transport posters from the 1930s, and book illustrations by Reg Cartwright - stuff like that. ;)

I'm also a huge fan of Braque and Piet Mondrian - saw a great Mondrian exhibition at the Turner Gallery in Margate, showing his development from natural landscape paintings to modernist work. Enthralling and inspiring.

[Mike A]

This is a screenshot of part of the work - just below actual size. The point is to try and create a harmony of colours across the panorama, and to echo angles of roofs, walls and windows - and, believe it or not, all done freehand! Perhaps not to everyone's taste - but it's what I do!

Cheers,

Mike

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[D Akey]

Massive undertaking! They say Rome wasn't built in a day. But neither was St. Ives would be my guess.

Bet it's not unlike walking the streets again along with your memory of it. I shouldn't be surprised if it doesn't come back to life for ya as you paint in the various spots. At the very least you would have a recollection of the lighting if not the temperature. If you had a beer and some fish and chips at your elbow it could well complete your experience.

Keeping the trip alive. Love it. Good one!

[eighty+]

Thanks Mike yeah I wasn’t being critical. It’s just way beyond my knowledge as only found I could draw when in my sixtys ok. So have blundered around since then still trying. Hoping. That the REAPER IS BUSY. SO MISSING me:D:D:D:D:D. CIAO. PLOOS HASTA LA VISTA

[Mike A]

I think the Reaper is far too busy at the moment to bother with youngsters like you - in the meantime, keep on keeping on with that drawing hand! :cool:

Mike

[Alexandra]

A dream of mine to go to Cornwall. Excellent work, Mike A!

[Stephen Lo Piano]

Your painting here has very good areal birds eye perspective.
The surface texture you use for all the objects has an original feel to them, not exactly realistic yet unique. Sometimes making a painting look exactly like a photograph is not the best approach, you can install and hide some subliminal messages in a painting by developing a different painted objects approach.

[Mike A]

Photographs are great for providing structure and proportion for a painting, and also for tonal balance but, after that, anything goes - particularly colour. I'm too old and creaky to be able to sketch outdoors these days - walking is great but sitting on a folding stool for a day (which is what I used to do) is a no-no!

Anyway, I try and create a colour harmony across the "canvas", which may well be at odds with the actual colours as taken by the photograph - but that's what we do when we paint. Photos actually obscure colour values. Anyway, glad you liked St. Ives. :)