Place

Running Along the Pearls

"The thoughts that occur to me while I'm running are like clouds in the sky. Clouds of all different sizes. They come and they go, while the sky remains the same sky as always. The clouds are mere guests in the sky that pass away and vanish, leaving behind the sky."

— Haruki Murakami, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

Running Along the Pearls is a series of paintings inspired by the landscape I encountered, quite literally at my feet, while running the Cornish coastal path between Land's End and Penzance. The title refers to an area known as The String of Pearls, a stretch of rounded boulders and giant pebbles on the shore near St. Loy. Although the title comes from this small section of coastline, the work relates to the whole twenty-one mile journey, from the rocky paths in the west to the urban footpath in the east.

The paintings were made both on site, in the makeshift studio I built alongside my campervan at Treen Farm Campsite, and later in my studio in Sheffield.

I have quoted Haruki Murakami because, during the time I was camping, running and making this work in Cornwall, I was also reading his semi-autobiographical book What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. It was through his writing that I recognised how the obsessive nature of the creative mind can find a remarkably productive place while running. My attention was constantly shifting between the objective reality of the rough and often treacherous landscape beneath my feet and the more subjective, meandering thoughts that unfolded as the miles passed.

Like much of my work, these paintings are rooted in process. They are built through repeated acts of masking, layering, washing, splattering, combing and revealing the surface. Rather than illustrating the landscape, they attempt to embody the experience of moving through it.

The larger paintings were completed in Sheffield, while the works on paper and small painted panels were made at the campsite. Together they describe the journey from direct experience to studio practice, showing how the experience of place continued to evolve long after the run had ended.

The following works were made at the campsite, showing the rocks along the path from Land's End to Penzance.

The photographs below show the temporary studio I built alongside my campervan at Treen Farm Campsite, where much of this work first took shape.

Works on paper made at Treen Farm Campsite.

Works seen being made in the studio.

Dedicated to Kev.

Kev owned Treen Farm Campsite, where this work began. During my time there we often cycled together around the Land's End peninsula, sharing the roads, the landscape and countless conversations. Sadly, Kev later passed away while out riding his bike.

This body of work is dedicated to his memory.