David Wheeler’s eye-catching London crowd scenes continue to be a strong favourite amongst our customers. His recent appearance in the Sunday Times Magazine has resulted in increased interest in this artist’s work with many commissions being undertaken for paintings of the well-loved London landmarks that feature in his work. A customer recently told us that having moved from London after many years and now living in rural Cornwall, she wanted something to remind her of the bustling streets and vibrant atmosphere of the big city, so she bought a metre square canvas showing Tower Bridge to give her a window into London. David also paints London in a more figurative style, as seen in works such as King’s Road. See the website for the full collection.

…Sophie Harding! Sophie works from her studio overlooking St Michael’s Mount and paints Cornish coastal scenes in her recognisable style of naïve simplicity and charm, working from sketches, photos and imagination. Her childhood was spent in Dorset, where she was encouraged to draw and paint and cultivate her creative side. Her great aunt Jeka Kemp was a well-known post-impressionist painter and her grandmother was cousins with Arthur Rackham. Her artistic skills were channelled into Fashion and Textiles, graduating with a BA Hons in the subject from Central St Martins. We are in love with her work and are over the moon to have her as a regular artist at Beyond the Sea.

If you are drawn to atmospheric seascapes of Cornwall and beyond, then you will love the work of Michael Sanders. He is relatively new to Beyond the Sea and already has quite a following. Michael works predominantly in acrylic and mixed-media, using heavy texture overlaid with translucent washes and glazes. His ability to capture light in his paintings, particularly in his moody skies and glistening seas, is often commented on by admirers of his work. He also captures the essence of his subject-matter, be it a lone figure on a windswept beach battling against the weather or a family walking leisurely along the seashore at dusk.

Michael tells us he is never happier than when painting in his studio, being somewhat of a hermit! Although he has lived and worked all over the world, including France, Italy and Thailand, he has now settled here in Cornwall, “this beautiful county never fails to inspire me with its breathtaking headlands, vast sandy beaches and ever-changing light – I love this part of the world and hope that this shines through in my paintings”.

Michael has been a full-time professional painter for over 25 years since leaving art school. Nature has been the greatest influence in his work right from the very beginning and Michael admits that aside from his first love of painting, he is never happier than when fishing the riverbanks or walking the coastal paths of Cornwall.

The very talented Jonty Henshall has created a beautiful range of furniture for Beyond the Sea. Gorgeous chairs made from reclaimed oak cider barrels and beautiful lacquered sideboards. See the full range in the artist’s section under ‘Jonty Henshall’. Looking for a different colour or size? Simply give us a call and we can arrange to have a piece made to measure.

We are delighted to say that we now have some beautiful paintings by Cornwall-based artist Sophie Harding. Sophie’s work has a wonderful naive simplicity to it and never fails to charm with its picturesque coastal scenes. View them in the Padstow gallery or in the Artist section of the website.