Cyril Croucher
Cyril Croucher was born in 1951. He was born and grew up in
Shoeburyness, a small village in Essex. He studied and graduated at
Southend-on-Sea Art College and then set out to establish himself as a
professional artist.
Dissatisfied with the art work he was producing and
following the death of his father, Cyril Croucher stopped painting and, as he
says, “rejoined the real world and got a proper job”. For the next twenty years
Cyril worked in various trades, from boat building to gardening, and finally
settled into a successful career as a property surveyor. It was only when he
moved to Cornwall that he started to paint again - unable to help himself in
the face of so much inspirational material. It was the houses and boats in
their quaint harbour settings that interested Croucher most, and his present
style was born and began to evolve.
Cyril and his wife bought and extended the Millpool Art
Gallery in Mousehole and began to exhibit his new work. The work was much
admired and collected. The gallery has now closed but Croucher's art work has
continued to grow hugely in popularity and he continues to participate in
numerous successful exhibitions in the UK.
Cyril Croucher likes to create a different view of the
world. It is his own particular interpretation of what he sees. His preferred
medium is acrylics on board, as he believes the quick drying quality suits his
style of painting. Croucher builds up colour by continually applying a thin
layer of paint which is then rubbed back until the colour is almost
translucent. This process produces a muted depth to the colours.
Croucher's approach to paintings developed out of a
fascination with the height of harbour walls and the buildings which are often
built on the harbours and quays. The sense of height from inside the harbour
gave Cyril the feeling of looking upwards inside the immense space of a
cathedral. He trys to capture this feeling in his paintings together with other
elements and memories from my past. His aim is to create a sense of
timelessness, calm and intrigue.
Cyril Croucher art work has been exhibited at many leading
British Art Galleries. This includes the Royal West of England Academy Autumn
2007 exhibition where his painting won the “Viewers’ Choice” Award. He has also
had work accepted in the Royal Academy Summer Exhibitions on numerous
occasions.
