Neil Pinkett: Water's Edge
30 September - 28 October

With a preference for painting en plein air, Neil Pinkett’s paintings have an exciting

energy and directness to them. This latest series of work features paintings of his

homeland of the south coast of Cornwall, capturing the raw energy of the sea as its waves crash onto the rocks. In striking contrast he has returned to the still and tranquil waters of the River Avon, which winds through the Georgian city of Bath. Here he has painted the city from his narrowboat, giving a fresh and less-chartered vantage point.

Talking about his coastal and seascape paintings, he says ‘I work with a palette knife as I want to express as forcefully as I can the forces of nature, the ever-changing elements, cloud formations, piercing blue skies over acres of red bracken, the raw beauty of the landscape’. Areas of the Avon to the edges of the city become greener with wooded riverbanks while the famous Pulteney Bridge and North Parade Bridge are mirrored in reflections of calmer parts of the river. There are connections between these two differing parts of the southwest that draw Pinkett’s attention, particularly the colour palettes; the juxtaposition with the Cornish seascapes is an extremely satisfying one. This exhibition of some thirty paintings shows Pinkett at his best through two extremes of British waterscapes as his chosen subject.

Accompanying this exhibition is a selection of hand built ceramic vessels by Emily

Kriste-Wilcox. This work is very distinctive in both form and painterly glazes in sea

colours of pale blues and greens. Panels of clay are treated with layers of coloured

slip to achieve the desired depth of surface. Her soft colour palette draws inspiration from the clouds and landscape; the surfaces hold similarities to misty skies, memories of a walk, or a view across the sea. This recent series is particularly inspired by the Cornish coast.

Neil Pinkett was born in St Just-in-Penwith in 1958 and spent his childhood

in West Cornwall. After a successful career as an illustrator spanning twenty

years, Neil decided to dedicate himself to painting full-time in the mid-1990s. An

acclaimed solo-show followed almost immediately and since that point Neil has

built a reputation as one of the foremost landscape painters in the South West.

Today Neil splits his time between Bath and Cornwall.

Neil is one of several en plein air painters to emerge from St Just in recent years.

He does much of his painting on location, occasionally from his canoe using a

specially adapted easel and accompanied by his dog Beavis. Neil travels widely

- landscapes and landmarks from these journeys feature heavily in his work. Neil

works predominantly in oil paints with palette knife. Creating texture and over-

painting he creates impressions of atmosphere and light. Neil’s work has been

shown and is collected throughout the UK. He has also undertaken painting tours

and one-man shows across America.

Exhibition 34