Painting Mawgan Porth: Art, Lessons and Inspiration in Cornwall
Mawgan Porth has been part of my life and my artwork for many years, and days like this are a lovely reminder of why I continue to paint here.
I spent this session on Mawgan Porth beach in Cornwall with two lovely ladies, painting the view and enjoying plenty of laughter along the way.
We soon discovered that the three of us were virtually exactly the same age although, as everyone knows, ladies never give away their age!
An Artist at Mawgan Porth, Cornwall
I have been painting and teaching at Mawgan Porth for around 10 years, and the beach continues to influence both my artwork and the way I teach.
The cliffs, sea, sand, changing skies and shifting Cornish light have appeared again and again in my original paintings of Mawgan Porth. I also create prints from my artwork, allowing people who know and love this part of Cornwall to take a little of Mawgan Porth home with them.
For me, painting here is never only about recording a view. It is about trying to understand what creates the atmosphere of a place: how the light changes the colour of the sea, how distance softens the cliffs, how the tide reshapes the beach and how the eye travels through the landscape.
Mawgan Porth Paintings and Cornish Artwork
Much of my work as a Cornwall artist is inspired by the coast, particularly Mawgan Porth. Some paintings are created outside directly from the landscape, while others develop later from memories, sketches and photographs gathered on the beach.
My Mawgan Porth artwork includes original paintings and prints, with subjects ranging from waves and cliffs to quieter beach scenes and changing weather.
Because I have painted here for so long, I know the landscape in many different moods, from bright summer light to mist, rain, heavy skies and dramatic seas.
Art Lessons at Mawgan Porth
Teaching remains an important part of my work too. My art lessons at Mawgan Porth are based around the same fundamentals I use within my own painting: observation, perspective, light, colour, distance and composition.
I do not teach people simply to copy what they see. I help them understand why the landscape looks the way it does so that they can begin to make their own decisions as artists.
These two ladies created their own small paintings of Mawgan Porth during the session, and the combination of art, conversation, fresh air and laughter made it a particularly enjoyable afternoon.
Painting Cornwall by the Sea
Whether I am working on one of my own paintings or teaching somebody else, Mawgan Porth, Cornwall remains one of the places I most enjoy working.
It is a landscape I know well, but it never looks exactly the same twice.
Jeanni Grant-Nelson
Cornwall artist and art teacher
Art at the Beach, Mawgan Porth
Photographs shared with permission.
