NEWS

 

Home ground - Devon's coast and Dartmoor

Over the last couple of years I have returned to the part of the South Devon coast I know so well - from Brixham south past Dartmouth to Start Point and west past Salcombe. I have walked and sailed along this coast for over sixty years, and sketched and painted there for thirty. There is a long history of coastal erosion, especially in Start Bay - the long-abandoned village of Hallsands, and the often-breached sea defences at Beesands and Slapton. Now the recent storms in early 2026 have caused more serious damage to the road along Slapton beach to Torcross - the Slapton Line - cutting off the village from the north.

I took six more new paintings to the Dart Gallery in Dartmouth in early August, which included two Dartmoor images, where I live, and four more of the south coast - availability and prices can be obtained from the gallery.

I plan to go down to this wonderful coast for as long as I can to record and interpret what is happening with the continuing threat of more severe weather and more damage to the sea defences, sketch and paint what I see, and enjoy the occasional reflective pint in the Cricket Inn and the Start Bay Inn.