Rain 0… Art 1

Art At The Beach in Mawgan Porth, Cornwall

Our morning began on the beach with plenty of looking, learning, laughter and new knowledge.

The students were not simply following instructions or copying a finished painting. They were learning to understand what they could see… looking carefully at the movement of the sea, the structure of the waves, the changing light and the colours within the landscape.

Gradually, however, the sky began to change.

The clouds became darker and larger, and we began debating whether we should move the lesson. Before we had much time to decide, the heavens opened.

A Wonderful Team Effort

Within moments, everyone began helping to move the entire art lesson across to the Merrymoor Inn.

Paintings, canvases, chairs, materials, bags and equipment all needed to be gathered quickly. What could easily have become complete chaos turned into a wonderfully organised and cheerful team effort.

Students, families and some of the lovely people who regularly work around Mawgan Porth all helped us make the move as quickly as possible.

It was a lovely reminder of the kindness and community spirit I have experienced throughout my years of working as an artist and art teacher in Mawgan Porth.

Thank You to the Merrymoor

A huge thank you must go to the Merrymoor Inn for allowing us to continue the lesson on their stage.

They have supported me and my Art At The Beach lessons many times over the years, and their kindness meant that the students could carry on learning, painting and enjoying their experience despite the sudden change in weather.

I would also like to thank the lovely people who were already sitting on the stage when we arrived with our travelling art lesson.

They were incredibly accommodating and understanding as we settled everyone into the new space. I think they may even have enjoyed listening to parts of the lesson as the students continued exploring colour, observation and painting techniques.

The Lesson Continued

A change of location did not mean a change in the quality of the lesson.

The students continued to think carefully about what they were seeing and why. They were learning how colour, light, movement and brush technique work together, replacing chance with understanding.

This is central to the way I teach through Visual Awareness. Art is the vehicle… understanding is the destination.

Weather is always one of the unpredictable parts of teaching outdoors in Cornwall, but creativity does not have to stop when the rain begins. Sometimes adapting, solving problems and working together becomes part of the experience.

The morning may not have gone entirely according to plan, but it became memorable for all the right reasons.

Rain 0… Art 1.