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Coinciding, in
fact, as the exhibition has done for the past 16 years with Newlyn's
Fish Festival, it is not all that surprising to find that the fishing
industry provides subject matter, in one way or another, for many of
the artists represented here
... from Elizabeth Warren's Casting the Nets
to Bernard Evans' Red Boxes, Newlyn Fish Market, not forgetting David
Langsworthy who, with his pair of contrasting oils Refit and
Decommissioned highlights the alpha and omega, the hope and despair, of
today's fishing industry.
The
exhibition as a whole also highlights, of course, the hope and despair
of the thousands of children who are in need in this country and the
valuable work carried out by The Children's Society in an effort to
meet that need. Founded in the late 19th century by a young Sunday
School teacher, Edward Rudolf, in what was then still very much
Dickensian England, it is staggering to learn that, in this day and
age, some 100,000 children still run away from home or care each year,
that "many are forced to leave, and those who end up on the streets are
at risk of being abused as well as getting involved with crime,
prostitution, drugs and alcohol, just to survive". The Children's
Society, which works to provide them with a safe place to stay and
someone sound to talk to, has the firm belief that none of them is
"beyond hope, understanding or love", and provides services and support
through various projects for children of all ages, from those who are
at risk on the streets to those in trouble with the law, from young
refugees to disabled youngsters.
Such activities, which could
hardly be more praiseworthy, underline the importance of the efforts
made by the organising committee of this annual exhibition to raise
funds for The Children's Society. Last year it was able to send £2,300
to the society and it is hoping to equal, even to surpass, that figure
this year. A pro-am exhibition in which works by several of Penwith's
professional artists hang happily alongside those by some of the
district's many amateur artists, it not only emphasises yet again the
wealth of artistic talent which exists in this part of the world (as it
has been said: "Knock on any door, from Newlyn to St Ives, and the
chances are that it will be answered by someone who is inside drawing,
painting, or creating something of a hand-made original nature"), but
also the goodwill and generosity of these artists, all of whom are
giving at least a quarter of the proceeds from the sale of their
pictures to the cause, in supporting such a fund-raising show.
From
the most expensive painting in the exhibition, Nigel Hallard's Wild
Flowers which is yours for a cool £2,500, to the least expensive Norma
Astley's Hydrangea 2 which is yours for a modest £12, while there is
enough to suit all pockets here, there is also more than enough to suit
all tastes. Indeed, the range of works it contains, from land to
seascapes, flower to still life studies. is so wide it is impossible to
mention everything it contains. Having said that, perhaps I'll be
forgiven for drawing particular attention to two watercolours by the
late Charles Breaker in which he records and recalls aspects of
Newlyn's history: French Crabber Newlyn which reminds one of the days
when Breton fishing boats were part and parcel of the harbour scene in
Newlyn, and his view of The Fradgan, Newlyn in which the central
building is the cottage in which the celebrated Mary Kelynack is said
to have lived but which, sadly, has been demolished.
With a
number of unframed, and consequently less expensive, paintings and
prints on offer, not to mention its good cause, this is an exhibition
which should not be missed.
* Admission is free, and it can be seen in St Peter's Church Hall, Newlyn, 10am-5pm each day, until this Saturday, September 1.
article copyright THE CORNISHMAN
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