Through the Eyes of... Daniel Holmes-Adams

THROUGH THE EYES OF...

DANIEL HOLMES-ADAMS

Known for his delicately luminous artwork, Daniel Holmes-Adams is a contemporary artist based in Devon. As a member of the Portscatho Art Colony, his work can be found in the New Gallery Portscatho, where he exhibits his works that are focused on the Roseland Peninsula. His soulful pieces capture the gentility of a place as he explores the relationship between paint and light.

Firstly, tell us about one of your chosen locations to paint and why it inspires you... I have been drawn, many times now, to the Purcuil River on the Roseland Peninsula. Chris Insoll generously introduced me to it when I delivered work to the gallery in nearby Portscatho. It is one of Cornwall’s amazing river estuaries. The tide is in constant motion and the land drops and folds into the water. The light can cast a spell, creating a visual treat. I find it a really inspiring and fluid location.

When painting your location, is there anything that really catches your eye that you enjoy focusing on? I know it has been said many times by artists but the light in Cornwall is fantastic! I am focused on making a connection with the colours bouncing off the landscape. Even inland this unique phenomenon colours the air. I am completely interested in looking. Looking is so different from seeing, it is a process of actively being open to discovering information first hand by experiencing it. This makes paintings about ideas and ideas make good paintings. Quite often the same location can look different each day or even each hour, so more than one canvas and another approach comes from the same location.

Nature does deliver and is so changeable it can reveal something you never noticed, even after many days of looking.

What colours do you like to use when painting your location? I feel this should be answered in two parts. I am constantly exploring, experimenting and discovering pigments and paints. How they behave and their characters which are vastly different. There maybe seven different yellows in my paint box at a time and it has to be the best quality I can get. The paint box becomes heavier each year. I may find a new colour from other painters or by looking at other paintings. This mixing is a form of alchemy.

Secondly: The idea. In my practice each painting has a different and unique arrangement of raw ingredients/colours on the palette to mix from. The colours are picked from that act of looking at the subject and the need to feed and celebrate the idea. There may only be three pigments used in a painting or 20 in another – it is always a fresh approach and a new exploration.

When painting/practicing ‘en plein air’, what do you think about and what are your processes when painting this way? Taking risks is important. That is when things can happen. The painting should surprise you. Solving all the challenges by repainting and repainting until you are left with the clear visual idea. I work at pace, working with the colour of the light, pattern, and drawing with the paint back into the picture. As light changes I may be working at the location but from a memory of an event of nature that happen hours/days back still looking for clues. I am in the process of painting. I am not concerned with what the finished painting will look like at all but trying to be part of the painting. Getting wet, cold, things sticking to wet paint and the painting blowing off the easel!

An idea that does not hold is frustrating. It has a lot of challenges. I feel that these must be accepted as an important part of the process of making and of risk taking. A colour or mark that doesn’t work can help you look for a new approach to try instead. When an idea really works then it is rewarding and being in flow overrides the awareness of discomfort.

Finally, what do you love most about your location? I feel after spending time and energy in different light and conditions you feel very connected to the place. Purcuil always has something to offer of good visual interest. It is great bringing the work back to The New Gallery studio in Portscatho for a welcomed coffee with Chris. This gives me the opportunity to reflect and plan another route forward, whilst looking at the day’s work and talking. Being part of the gallery community is something I cherish. l You can discover more of Danny HolmesAdams work in the charming space of The New Gallery at Portscatho and online at www.thenewgalleryportscatho.co.uk

The New Gallery, Portscatho, Cornwall, TR2 5HW T: 01872 580719

Opening times: Thursday to Saturday, 10am – 12.30pm, 2 – 5pm

The gallery is also open by appointment which you can call or email to arrange.