Journal

Last September, the charity HCPT asked if I could do another illustration project with them. HCPT is a charity that means a lot to me, so I jumped at the chance of supporting them again. My last illustration project was the Story of Bernadette that we launched online during the pandemic. I had so much great feedback and many people said how much it meant to them at a time where they couldn’t travel to Lourdes.

The latest project was to illustrate all 18 of the Lourdes apparitions – a difficult task to do.

HCPT provided me with a script of the text that would be spoken over the animations, and I made a start. I worked on each of the 18 animations in numerical order and started by designing a rough layout. Some of them were very challenging and some were much more simple. I tried to think what the atmosphere would have been like in Lourdes all that time ago – the wonder, the mystery, the confusion, the fear, the gossip, and the growing spectacle of the crowds – it must have been an incredible place during that time.

Over the 3 weeks I worked on this project, I got to know the story of Lourdes a little more, and I feel I’m better connected to the place I visit each Easter with the HCPT group I volunteer with.

I’m finding that the illustration work is becoming increasingly important in the studio and it’s effecting the way I paint. The oil painting influences the illustration work, and the illustration work influences the oil painting – both are as important.

I treated each of the 18 apparition animations as a piece of art – each to be viewed in isolation, and each has a message. I wanted the viewer to feel the excitement of the scene, the fear, the isolation, the enormous crowds, the frustration, the faith, and the bravery.

In its really basic form – it’s a story of a small girl doing something extraordinary – something brave and showing incredible commitment, faith, love and courage. It’s a story well worth sharing.

The second Jurassic Coast exhibition is now over and many of the paintings are hanging in their new homes.

This exhibition at Symondsbury Tithe Barn was my biggest and most ambitious to date, and the most rewarding one I’ve ever had. It took two days to build the exhibition in the beautiful medieval barn, and what a building it was to showcase the West Dorset paintings of the Jurassic Coast! The colours of its stone walls complemented perfectly the cliffs and sea on the canvases.

It’s not often I spend every day at one of my exhibitions, but I’m definitely glad I did this time around. It was great seeing the kids darting about trying to spot beaches they’d been to, and listening to the adults fondly remembering when they spent time on this wonderful coastline. People continually placed themselves into the landscapes, giving a deeply personal connection with the painting. This is something I am immensely proud of. Seeing strangers moved by one of my paintings is a very humbling experience. Landscapes are very powerful places and they affect us every day. This is even more apparent with the stunning scenery of the Jurassic Coast, and its landscapes have been the backdrops to many great memories of mine, and I’m sure many others. That’s why I live and work here.

I’m now starting to focus on the last section of the coastline, spanning from Weymouth to Swanage. I haven’t explored this section except for a few days out to Lulworth, so I can’t wait to see it. Just imagine how I’ll feel when Old Harry Rocks comes into view for the first time! I must admit, it feels like I’m embarking on a new adventure to unknown distant lands.

It’s always an exciting time when a painting is finished, so it’s great to get the first of the west Dorset paintings finally done. Currently, I’ve got everything for the October exhibition hanging in my studio waiting for the final touches to get ready for the show.

This painting of Lyme bay, has been a favourite of mine in the studio for some time now. It hung on the the wall surrounded by rough seas and dramatic cliffs and seemed to glow with warmth. I’ve always had a weakness for sunsets, they remind me of summer holidays and late evening kayaking trips.

On the day I took the photograph, the weather wasn’t great and I’d spent most of the afternoon walking from Charmouth over the steep coastline towards Seatown with some friends. I was out to take photographs and nothing on that particular day took my fancy. I know I shouldn’t, but I’m always a little disappointed if I come back from a trip empty handed.  So, we retreated to the pub at Seatown and I drowned my photographic sorrows with a pint.

On the way back the camera was now firmly pack away in my bag as I’d given up on the days dull weather. Then, as we approached the final decent into Charmouth, the sun suddenly decided to stage one of the most spectacular sunsets I’ve seen on this coastline. It’s often the surprising moments when out on the Jurassic Coast that give us the most pleasure.

The Dorset coastline when lit from a setting or rising sun is always stunning and I encourage you to make the effort to view this amazing light show.

With now only a couple of months to go until the exhibition, the preparations are well under way. This is the largest exhibition I’ve ever staged and I’m very excited, but understandably, a little nervous. The West Dorset coastline hasn’t disappointed and it’s constantly inspired.

Getting to know this epic coastline intimately is something everybody should try a do. You’d be amazed at the rewards you’d get from your own Jurassic Coast adventure.

It’s been quite a while since I’ve written a blog and I’ve got plenty of progress to report. The second year of the Jurassic coast art project is progressing very well with many of the major paintings well under way in the studio.

I spent the early part of the year exploring the west Dorset coastline, sometimes walking, running or kayaking. Some of the areas were familiar but most of the coastline was new ground for me. I can distinctly remember, early in the year, walking to the top of Thorncombe Beacon in the fog and thinking that my photographing trip was a waste of time, when suddenly the fog started to burn off and revealed a coastal landscape that staggered me. This location is one of my favourites so far, and the photographs from that day are already being worked into two paintings that, I feel will be starts of the show. The Dorset coastline so far has proven to be visually staggering, a coastline that has a much different feel to Devon’s Triassic cliffs.

One of my top days out was with Martyn Allen, a Jurassic coast volunteer ambassador. We walked around West Bay and along the cliffs to Burton Bradstock. It was one of the first warm days of early spring and it made us feel like we were on holiday. We talked about geology and some of the local history, then ended our sunny jaunt along the coast path with a pint in the pub and a pasty. My ideal day out.

I spend a lot of time driving from my home in Devon, over the border to Dorset, and it always staggers me how much the landscapes changes. Dorset feels much older, not the geology, as we know the Triassic section of coast is much older that Dorset’s, but the human interaction, the hill forts, the settlements. The landscape seems a little bit wilder than the well-farmed, hedgerow-lined fields of Devon. I also feel that there’s a light that draws shadows across the Dorset landscape which you don’t see in Devon. I’m definitely enjoying my time photographing and painting here.

The studio at the moment is looking very busy with paintings in progress hanging on the walls from floor to ceiling. Whenever I have friends around the studio, they always start naming the locations and inventively, start talking about walks and holidays they’ve had. It’s good to know that the paintings evoke an emotion in the viewer and people can gain so much joy from them.

Sometimes it’s hard work in the studio with very long days and a vast amount of work waiting to get finished, but I still wake up in the morning eager to paint. It’s a job that sometimes can exhaust you, but it’s a job that will always reward you. As the paintings progress in the studio and start to come to life, I’m getting more and more excited about the October exhibition (read more here). So, put the date in your diary and I’ll see you in October looking a little bit exhausted and very excited.

In the meantime, I am exhibiting some paintings – both landscapes and portraits – at Lyme Regis Museum until the end of August. Pop in and check them out if you’re in Lyme over the summer!

Jurassic Coast artist Colin Bentley is working on a three-year art project in collaboration with the Jurassic Coast Trust. Following the success of Colin’s first Jurassic Coast art exhibition in Sidmouth, Colin is turning to Dorset for 2018’s exhibition.

“People often ask me if I find painting relaxing, and when I answer ‘no’ it seems to be quite unexpected”.

I’ve always found painting and drawing one of the most challenging, frustrating and difficult things I do. It’s very rare that a painting comes together without the usual intense decision-making, hard work and the inevitable frustration. The next question they usually ask is, “why do you do it, if you don’t find it relaxing?”

I see my role as an artist as more of a vocation than just a job. The constant striving to create something better than the last is exhausting, but that desire to push myself sometimes leaves me quite astonished at the outcome. I feel this latest exhibition at Kennaway House contains some of the best work I’ve ever done, and it’s certainly the hardest I’ve pushed myself towards an exhibition.

In the last couple of months I’ve been spending increasing time in the studio working towards the show. Although this time has seen some very long days, it’s been very rewarding. It’s always great to see the paintings finally completed.

I’ve also been working with the students from Sidmouth College and some of the young visitors to Ladram Bay Holiday Park and Lyme Regis Museum.

As I’ve said before, the enthusiasm and determination that young people put into their artwork is always an inspiration. Recently another artist asked me who inspires me the most, and I replied, “Sophie, a girl from Ladram Bay”. It didn’t go down well in this artistic name-dropping session that I found myself trapped in, but I would be very pleased if I could put the same determination into my artwork that Sophie did.

My original brief of working closely with the Trust’s volunteer Ambassadors to gain an understanding of the Jurassic Coast’s geology has certainly paid off. I was showing a friend the new paintings and he said, “there’s something different about your work, it’s the rocks; they look more solid or real somehow”. The geology has crept into the artwork without me noticing!

One of the most exciting aspects of this fast approaching exhibition is the inclusion of portraiture. As I’m working my way along the Jurassic Coast, I’m painting the portraits of each of the Ambassadors. This connection with people who are passionate about this.

The seasons are rapidly changing on the Jurassic Coast. This has always been a favourite time of year for me, and as an artist, it’s always a great time to photograph and sketch outdoors. The new growth gives the landscape vibrant colours and a fresh look that’s difficult to find at any other time of year.

I’m spending a large amount of time exploring the Triassic section of the World Heritage Site and even though I know this stretch well, and live here, I still manage to find places that leave me speechless. Sometimes I have to remind myself that I’m at work when I’m walking and photographing the coast. I’m very lucky to have a job that takes me to some of the most beautiful locations on the coastline.

Pine Trees Budleigh Salterton Looking West. Oil on Linen. 30 x 40cm.

I’ve recently arranged walks with Jurassic Coast Ambassador John Ayres and Dr Roger Trend from Sidmouth museum. Each walk was full of enthusiasm about the geology of Sidmouth and Budleigh Salterton. Roger and John each talked about how long it’s taken the coastline to be formed and the timescales were enormous, something that I found hard to comprehend. The Jurassic Coast is not only vast in scale but it’s also enormous in terms of time. I’m starting to realise this is quite an epic coastline!

Scale is something that keeps cropping up in my notes when working on the project. The 180 million years of geology on this coastline is astonishing and also, the vastness of its landscapes. As an artist it’s important to get this vast scale across in the artwork and it’s difficult to achieve without painting on a very grand scale. The largest painting in this first exhibition is 15 foot by 5 foot, the biggest I’ve ever worked on. The paintings are so big that I have to tape my paintbrush to a long garden cane, as that’s the only way I can stand far enough back to see the entire painting as I’m working!

Painting on this scale is something that I’ve always found difficult, but it’s possibly the most rewarding of any studio work. Not only do I have the practical problems of using vast amounts of paint and difficult drying times, but the paintings are so big it feels that I can barely control them. After all, they are much bigger than me! You need to treat artwork on this scale with increased respect, because if you make a mistake it’s going to be a very big one.

In other news, I attended the Jurassic Coast Trust’s boat cruise with City Cruises Poole in May, capturing some fabulous images of Old Harry Rocks and the surrounding cretaceous geology, which I hope to expand upon in the studio when the time is right. I also recreated Mary Anning’s famous plesiosaur fossil in macaroni with young guests at Ladram Bay Holiday Park over half-term. The kids were so enthusiastic and I was quite pleased with the final product.

Back at the studio, it’s getting very busy and almost full to capacity, and it is the major paintings for the Kennaway House exhibition in October that I’ve dedicated most of my time to. I’ve even made a little cardboard model of the venue so I know which painting will go where. I’m starting to understand the Jurassic Coast more each week, and it’s not only the geology that’s influencing the artwork but the people I meet whilst out working. As this project continues I’m starting to feel deeply rooted in this epic World Heritage Site.