Neil Pinkett
A former professional illustrator and art lecturer, Neil Pinkett
has produced a wide range of superlative work that has not, so
far, been widely exhibited. Profile (featured in Neil's book - 'A Prospect of the Sea') NEIL PINKETT was born in St Just-in-Penwith, a small mining village
on the coast of a dramatic and visually stunning part of Cornwall.
The Penwith peninsula has a wild and untamed beauty; an unpredictable
climate, from raging seas and winds to crystal clear waters and
azure skies. Immersion in such a landscape from an early age has
had a profound effect on Neil. His childhood was one of unrivalled
adventure; with seemingly endless days spent idyllically scrambling
across rocks, or exploring coves and mineshafts with his friends.
He now paints the landscape that he has such passion for and intimate
knowledge of, and has become a leading light in the vibrant and
exciting artistic community of West Penwith. The paintings in this book convey intensely powerful aspects of
an area that is so familiar to Neil that it has become integral
to his life and work. To describe his working day is revelatory.
Detailed observations of the ever-changing coastal conditions
are a necessary part of living so close to the Atlantic Ocean.
Every day Neil checks the short and long-term weather forecasts
and the tide timetable, anticipating the aspect of a particular
shoreline, watching the early morning skies. Then down to the
shore or cliff top with sketchbooks and camera to make notes of
cloud formations, the patterns formed by waves racing in over
the same stretch of sand and the differing effect that low and
high tides have on a particular shoreline. It is at this moment we can define the essence of Neil's paintings,
the juncture at which a seemingly crisp clear day brings a sharp
chill to back of the artist's neck as he sits on the cliff top.
While clouds move slowly overhead, colours and shadows quietly
change. The day has an itinerary of its own. Responding to influences
beyond his control is Neil's great inspiration in creating his
sense of scale, great panoramas of sweeping sky and far-flung
horizon. But the creative process has barely begun! The studio is where all the information, emotional and visual,
is pored over and decisions made as to the scale and design of
a piece of work. Initially drawing a cartoon with brush marks
on the canvas, he will then start to work at a frenzied pace for
many hours with oil on palette knife. The painting is gradually
built up with layers of oil paint - one colour allowed to sit
on top of another, volumes of paint scraped off and reapplied.
With such an energetic and physical approach the outcome of the
painting can never be wholly anticipated and finds a voice of
its own. An analogy here can be made with the artist's fate, indeed
often our own, at the hands of swiftly changing climatic conditions.
The paintings become journeys over known territory, but never
predictable, formed by memories and experiences, ever able to
draw us into a world shaped by untamed sea and shore, cliff and
moorland. Neil works prolifically for shows in Cornwall and London from
his studio high on the moors between Penwith's North and South
coasts. He has a special affinity with The Great Atlantic Map
Works Gallery in St Just-in-Penwith, sharing the gallery's vision
and special relationship with the local community.
But he is best known for his landscape paintings and these have
made him one of the best selling artists represented by The Great
Atlantic Map Works Gallery. These works are inspired by real locations
on the Land’s End peninsula and the Isles of Scilly, but he also
works in Scotland and has plans to work in other areas of the
British Isles and in the USA, in the near future.
The Great Atlantic Galleries
5 Bank Square, St Just-in-Penwith, Cornwall TR19 7HH
International Tel: 44 1736 788911/786016 (within the UK: 01736
788911/786016)
e-mail: gallery@greatatlantic.co.uk