Colin Orchard - Sunshine and Shadow, St Ives

This special collection of paintings marks an important moment in the story of St Ives,

and the career of distinguished artist Colin Orchard. Having been resident in the town

for 40 years, Colin has established himself as a respected painter of interior scenes and

landscapes. In more than 30 years, however, he has rarely put brush to canvas on the subject

of St Ives, until now. For more than a year before the pandemic Colin did not paint at all,

but in the quietude of lockdown when the streets of St Ives were empty, he was inspired to

wander its lanes, recording precious glimpses of its silent streets. Taking us from high on

Bellair Terrace down to the Hepworth Sculpture Garden, the Palais de Dance, past Ayr

Lane to Wills Lane and through Market Place, along the harbour to Bunkers Hill, Love

Lane, through the Digey and over to Porthmeor, the resulting works offer an intimate

portrait of St Ives at an unusual time, seen through the eyes of an artist familiar with its every twist and turn.

Colin Orchard was elected to the Royal Society of British Artists in 2007, but resigned in

2017. He has exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibitions and galleries including

David Messum, Medici, Walker Galleries, Ainscough and New Grafton, and in 2015 he held

his landmark 80th birthday exhibition here at the New Craftsman.