Fowey is a little seaside place, best known for its most famous resident Daphne du Maurier. It's a quaint little town, with bookshops full of du Mauriers works, restaurants full of fish dishes, Tea rooms full of cakes, and I would hope, Art Galleries full of Art.
21/01/12
This is the first little gallery that I happened upon. From the outside it looks fairly like a tourist based art shop, but when you enter you realise its actually full of some really lovely things. Its next to the Fowey Fudge shop (which was sadly shut for winter) showing that it's in a tourist area. Interesting to note that they were still open for business, even though some of the shops around them had closed their doors to the cold, and to the locals. This was a place that isn't looking just for tourist money, its there for passing trade, and for the locals all year round.
Its owned by an artist (Max Harrower), and at the time of my visit his sister was running the gallery come store. It's a relatively small space, but they have filled it pretty full of an array of local artists, and some Fowey based nick-knacks. The Lady working there was polite, and helpful and very welcoming, she was pleased to have my small piece of opinion, and for it to be posted online. She expressed her wish for all the artists that I show on this blog post, to be correctly described as to what work was done by which artist. She showed that she was interested in artists as people, not just as a commodity that could be exploited, unlike other galleries that I discovered this day, but more on them later.
One of the pieces of work that stands in my mind from 'Toe In The Water' is Linda Evans' piece 'Mevagissey mixed media collage' which is from a collection of her work, they are decorative pieces, made of bits and pieces. Made to resemble local places, it keeps the interest in the quaintness of the place, without exploiting it. It's the sort of work you can only get hold of, if you happen to be in the right place at the right time.
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| Linda Evans - 'Mevagissy Mixed Media Collage' (£65) |
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| Linda Evans - 'FY6/FY7' (£65) |
'Fused Glass Art' by Debbie Lord was also following this localised theme, with her beach scenes and little sea side houses made delicately and stylishly out of coloured glass. These really aren't things you can buy from a dealer in the middle of London, Its craft made by local people, of their local environment, sold in the same locality. That's what makes it special and worth a trip to either just look, get some inspiration for your own work, to buy someone close to you a special gift, or to treat yourself to a keepsake of your trip. It's about the trip, about the little holiday and the specialness of the place you are visiting.
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| Debbie Lord - 'Moored by The Habour Wall' (£190) |
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| Debbie Lord - 'Fused Glass Art' (Various) |
Saying this, I did find a driftwood seagull, so it has fully conformed to all my coastal art assumptions.
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| Driftwood items - Various Artists |
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| John and Patricia Christian - 'Sea Shore' |
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| Patricia Christian - Various Glasswork |
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| Max Harrower - Canvas Boat Print (£85) |
| Review has been removed due from request from owner. |
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| Review has been removed due from request from owner. |
I learnt a few things from my little research trip to Fowey, That art can be local and lovely, it can be exploited for money, and some people care more about money; than they care about helping artists. A trip to Fowey is well worth the visit, I will be revisiting in the spring, when more places are open to the bustling tourist trade.
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