Noel Betowski was born the same year as me. His father was a Polish seaman living in Tilbury, Essex. He paints little boats in the deep blue sea of his paintings as a memory of all the boats plying the Thames Estuary in those days.his father was away at sea. I know this because I bought a painting from him and, I mean, from him, not a gallery. I bought it from him at his wonderful granite house and studio just outside Penzance, on the edge of the wild Penwith moorland. Finding an artist and buying art direct from source is not as common as it should be, but the annual Open Studios Cornwall, every June, makes it as easy as it could be.
Open Studios, where artists of all types open their homes and studios to the public, range across the country, but Cornwall is the epic hot spot of studio hunting. With more artists per square mile than anywhere outside London, West Penwith, at the pointy end of Cornwall, looks like a bomb map of the East End on the Open Studio’s website. Artists litter the landscape of wild moors, isolated coves and snug fishing villages with a big “Come and See Me” sign during the annual event.
In 2016 there were over 260 artist’s studios open to the public during the 8 days of Cornwall Open Studios – ranging from well-established names to unknown, but potentially great artists. Cornwall’s attractions are well known and visitors throughout the year enjoy the dramatic scenery and fabulous beaches. However, less well known is Cornwall’s important contribution to the artistic legacy of the country. The Tate Gallery in St Ives, now open again after a major expansion, has done much to raise the profile of art in the South West, but the legacy of Barbara Hepworth, Ben Nicholson, Bernard Leach, Alfred Wallis, Peter Lanyon and Terry Frost amongst many others is still wildly underestimated. For anybody who is interested the slightest bit in art or anybody who just likes snooping around other people’s houses, Open Studios Cornwall should be a magnet.
A bit of pre-planning is advisable, though part of the fun can be just turning off a road and following the distinctive Open Studio signs down increasingly narrow lanes to find a hidden gem of a house or studio tucked into the lush Cornish landscape. The Open Studios website is well-organized and informative and can help direct you to particular artists or mediums for you to explore. Remember, not all studios are open all the time during the Open Studio week, so it is advisable to check first if possible, and if you may want to purchase, remember cash or a cheque book are likely to be more useful than a card in remote rural Cornwall.
If you have second thoughts about turning up at a strangers house, walking around, inspecting their work, their hopes, ambitions and dreams – as well as their furniture, décor, interior design taste and general lifestyle – have no fears. The welcome you will receive will be genuine and infectious. Remember that artists work a solitary lifestyle, but are generally social people. Get them talking on just about any subject and it is difficult to get them to stop. Of course, they want to sell their work, but they will have no expectation that visitors are buyers. If you do buy, they will be delighted and you will buy well below gallery prices. Furthermore, you will have a story to tell about your artwork – there is much more resonance to a painting bought direct from the artist, there is always a story to tell, even if it is just about the little boats in the sea.
Cornwall Open Studios 2017 will run from 27 May – 4 June. www.openstudioscornwall.co.uk
Good on you, David! Open Studios are a great opportunity for both artists and the art loving public. I have taken part in our local ones for many years – Colchester and Tendring Open Studios and Suffol Open Studios. They have always been fun and rewarding weekends.