jenny hirst

"Much of my work is landscape based – inspired by my travels in the UK and abroad. For this collection, I looked at Cornwall’s west coast and found inspiration in the ever-changing weather and its effect on the sea and the coastline – the magical light of West Cornwall. I have tried to capture in these paintings, the dramatically different moods of the water, the coastline and the skies, the casting of light and shadows and the sweeping sands disappearing and re-appearing with the ebb and flow of the tide.

I try to incorporate interesting textures into my work by the overlaying of paint, the addition of an element of drawing and also the rubbing and scraping away of paint to reveal layers beneath. I aim to capture the essence of a place – an emotional response rather than an accurate representation. Thus my paintings often take on a life of their own, led by the method of applying the paint. It is a process of experimentation, a balance between control and letting go and taking risks. With a spontaneous style it is impossible to predict the exact outcome – I like to let the painting evolve whilst always paying attention to composition and balance of colour and form.

All the paintings in this collection began their lives in a makeshift studio in Trewellard, from where I could walk on to the coastal path in less than five minutes."

Jenny Hirst was born in Cheshire in 1954. She completed a Foundation Diploma in Art & Design in 2002, after running an interior design business for nine years.

Since then, her works have been exhibited in galleries in Manchester, Cheshire, Derbyshire, North and South Wales and the Lake District. She has also exhibited and sold work at the Manchester, Bristol, Cambridge, London and New York Art Fairs since 2007, and has worked on several commissions for homes and offices, including Colliers Cre property agents Manchester offices. The Langham Hotel, Regent Street, London has a painting in their new conference centre lobby.

She is represented exclusively in St Ives by the Porthminster Gallery.