FORTHCOMING EXHIBITION AT THE JERRAM GALLERY
10th - 28th September
MARK CORETH and
ANDREW STOCK
One of the many privileges of painting the natural world is receiving unexpected and exciting invitations. And so when a Commodore in the Royal Navy recommended me for a tour on HMS Endurance, the Antarctic Survey Ship, I eagerly followed this up and was delighted to be accepted as an ‘artist in residence’ for the month of November 2008.
Having flown into the Falklands, courtesy of the RAF, it wasn’t long before I was aboard a pitching and rolling HMS Endurance; we were heading due south, crossing the infamous Drake Passage, escorted by a variety of albatrosses and petrels.
Living with the Royal Navy for a month was an experience in itself, but the landscapes and wildlife of the Antarctic Peninsula that greeted me were uniquely spectacular and my intention was to sketch whenever there was an opportunity.
Every morning the artist’s plan for the day was part of the operational briefing; some days the ship would be surveying, putting teams ashore, ice breaking or deploying the BBC wildlife unit, (fellow guests, filming ‘Frozen Planet’) and I would paint views from the ship. Other days I would be ‘deployed’ – this entailed being fully ready on the flight deck at a given time, burgen packed with painting kit and emergency rations and myself dressed to the nines by the Royal Marines on board. The final items of clothing were the life support suit, lifejacket, helmet and goggles for the exhilarating flight over sea and ice in the Lynx helicopter. And so I would be dropped off (always with a guardian Royal Marine) on a distant island and was able to sit and sketch the wildlife, including Gentoo, Chinstrap and Adélie penguins, Weddell and Elephant seals - and make quick watercolours of the stunning views. Apart from the breathtaking, remote beauty of these excursions, once the helicopter had left me it was the utter silence that I remember now.
My next trip in search of inspiration entailed living for three weeks on an uninhabited Outer Hebridean Island in mid winter –initially it appeared very different to the Antarctic, but there were comparisons in that once again bleak, treeless landscapes and daunting seas faced me. And this time there was no company, save for my dog.
Staying alone in the only house on the island had benefits; I could work entirely to my own timetable, getting up with the dawn and going to bed soon after dark – there was no electricity. The early morning views were often stunning with calm waters and magnificent distant vistas through to Skye and the Cuillins and beyond to the Scottish mainland.
I would watch and sketch eagles, harriers and peregrines, many waders and wildfowl including large numbers of wintering barnacle geese and was fortunate to spot otters on several occasions.
When the fishing boat finally arrived to take me off I was reluctant to leave; I had tuned in to the beat of this beautiful island, the weather and tides, the bird calls and the occasional howling gale - it held an extraordinary unspoiled peace and to be part of it, all be it briefly, had been a huge privilege.
This exhibition shows work in oils and watercolours from both trips.
For more information on Mark Coreth and his work please go to: http://www.markcoreth.com/index.htm
Andrew Stock, August 2011
The Jerram Gallery
Half Moon Street
Sherborne
Dorset DT9 3LN
UK
Tel + 44 (0) 1935 815261
Email info@jerramgallery.com
Opening times:
Monday to Saturday 9.30am to 5pm