My image “Unsafe harbour” will be part of the Spring Exhibition at Penlee House Gallery, Penzance, which runs from 18th January to the 22nd April.
The exhibition features artwork produced following peoples visits to Penlee’s gallery and permanent museum of local items.
The image was made to be part of a series documenting the sea and coast of the Far West of England, especially The Lizard and West Penwith in Cornwall.
Its choice was inspired by Penlee House’s recent exhibition of the paintings of Walter Langley “Painting Between the Tides”.
Clouds blowing in from the West at Church Cove, Gunwalloe signal the coming storm. The shelving beach is no safe anchorage, and the crew of a sailing boat must cross open water to gain the security of the harbour at Newlyn.
I hope that the image will be taken by viewers as complementing Langley’s portrayal of the fishing communities; including their buildings, vessels and tools; by making evident the often harsh nature of the environment that was their workplace.
Perhaps visitors will reflect on the hazards frequently encountered by fishermen in the late 1800’s, and indeed today.
