Artist Bios for Fred Huston

Lizzie Black:

Local Mousehole artist Lizzie Black paints en plein air and impressively captures the character and atmosphere of the village. From the colourful fishing boats to the harbour views out to the Mount, Lizzie's use of light and colour create joyful pieces reminiscent of long summer days spent in Mousehole.

"Painting within the landscape is an utterly absorbing art practice. By working onsite my aim is not to copy, but to find a way of communicating experience. This might be the physical activity of movement, sound, wind or light changes. In some respect I seek to unlearn what I know and describe the subject objectively and without prejudice.

Preparation is crucial with a trolley loaded with an easel, pochade box, paints, rags, brushes, canvases sun hat etc. Painting outside brings with it a certain ceremony and protocol. I am aware that if I forget just one item then the trip has to be abandoned.  The scene changes constantly. While out painting, the wind is the most tenacious trickster. It can upturn the easel or even blow the canvas away and face down onto the sand.

I am happiest out painting every day, being constantly inspired by the surrounding landscape of Cornwall, and feel privileged to live and work where I am."

Neil Pinkett:

Neil Pinkett, born in St. Just, Cornwall in 1958, began his artistic career as a successful illustrator but moved into the fine art arena with a hugely successful debut solo exhibition in 1996. Since that date Neil has become one of the foremost landscape painters in Cornwall. His work has been exhibited at a large number of venues throughout the UK and has also toured in America.

Painting trips form a fundamental basis to his painting practice and include a 1000 mile cycle journey from Cape Wrath in Scotland to Cape Cornwall in 2006. The expedition was meticulously planned and he cycled through Scotland, North West England and Wales and the entire Atlantic coast of Devon and Cornwall. The physically demanding trip saw Neil produce a prolific amount of watercolours and sketches along the way of sweeping valleys, mountains, land and seascapes.

In 2008 he canoed down the River Shannon in Ireland painting from an easel stashed across the bow of a specially adapted canoe. The Shannon is the longest river in both Ireland and Britain at over 200 miles long from its source to the sea. In 2009, Neil undertook a second epic canoe and painting trip starting near the Forth Bridge in Scotland, through the Forth and Clyde and Glasgow and then out to the Inner Hebrides of Arran and Mull.