Neil Pinkett needs little introduction for anyone interested in the Cornish art world. Born in St Just, Cornwall in 1958, he started his artistic career as a visualiser in advertising and as an illustrator. Over the last 12 years of painting full time he has quietly carved out a reputation as one of the counties leading landscape painters. With nationwide and international solo exhibitions behind him, his enthusiasm, energy and passion for interpreting his subject matter hasn’t diminished.

His days are spent chasing shadows, keeping an eye on incoming weather fronts, the changing of tides, often working rapidly on the spot to capture fleeting moments of late sunlight which are then reworked in the studio. Whether painting from the open door of his van, perched on a clifftop or looking back at the cliffs while sketching from a canoe, Neil Pinkett continues to find inspiration in familiar scenes and his skill is in forever being able to make them appear fresh. His sense of colour and instinctive approach to drama, scale, tone and shadow are a direct reflection of his passion for his environment. His abstract handling of paint and his bold use of a palette knife allows him to capture the forceful elements of the landscape and while the paintings carry an air of traditionalism in subject matter, they remain resolutely contemporary and original.

Cornwall Contemporary is delighted to present “Out of the Shadows”, Neil Pinkett’s first solo exhibition at the gallery

“slip, scrape, scramble, heave…. it really shouldn’t be this difficult…. Look, take my hand, there you go… yes, oh my god! Just look at that! Right… where’s the sketch pad? It’s not in this one it must be in the other, where did that cloud come from…? It’s raining, I’m coming down….” Artist talks to imaginary friend…..