Newlyn School of Art

Abstracting the landscape September 2025

I spent 4 days drawing and painting in the Cornish landscape with Anita Reynolds at The Newlyn School of Art, Cornwall.

I would position myself amongst the more representational of landscape artists, so I was forced to challenge my habits. Anita had us working initially in black and white. We warmed up each day with quick experiments, exploiting the potential of the media, preparing surfaces to work on outside.

Then we boarded the mini bus and Anita took us to some amazing locations. There was a tension between the urge to do my habitual practice and the desire to be less representational. I could feel the resistance in my brain and body. The need to make something I was pleased with fighting the opportunity to be a risk taker and not be  attached to an outcome.

On the second and third day we embraced colour and I explored the Cornish palette.

It was a wonderful 4 days working with like minded souls in the rugged landscape.

Now to reflect on the recorded material I brought back and time to  develop something less representational.