8 WWW.THEFIELD.CO.UK
OPENINGSHOTS
SPORTING ARTIST
JustinTew’scompellingseascapesoffera nostalgicviewoftheoceanbut,ashetells
Janet Menzies, his concerns surrounding conservation are now informing his work
Art in the field
WHOknowstheoriginofthephrase,‘the
callofthesea’?Butweallknowexactlywhat
it means.It’sthefeelingthatJustinTewcap-
tures in his nostalgia-dappled seascapes.
BatherswadeoutintoMediterraneanshal-
lows; umbrella pines shade the shoreline.
Everyonewillsupplytheirownspecialloca-
tionbutfortheartist,it is theFrenchRiviera.
“My favourite hunting ground is the Côte
d’Azure– VillefrancheandCapFerrat.It’sin
myDNA.MyfatherstartedtogototheSouth
ofFrancebackinthe1930sandhelovedit.
Soaschildrenweallwentbackeveryyear.
WhereI livenowinBedfordshireyouareas
farawayaspossiblefromthesea– butthere
is somethingaboutbeingbeside the sea. And
I can’tgetenoughofit.”
Riviera-lovers will certainly recognise
particular views but Tew doesn’t want to
pindownhisworktopostcardscenes.He
stresses:“I trynottobetoorepresentational,
it is thefeelingthatI wanttocommunicate.
I am interestedin ouremotional response
andthe escapism thatit conjures up.The
nostalgicelementjust seems to occur as part
oftheseascapes.”
Thatnostalgiais rapidlybecomingalltoo
well-founded as the plastic tide threatens
the world’s most beautiful seascapes. The
challenge is leadingTew’s work into new
areas.“IwasintheMaldives 10 yearsago
andeventhen I noticedtheplasticwaste.
Thistimeit wassomuchworse.Wewentout
asa familyearlierthisyearwithoursonand
endedupdoinga projectwithhimandjust
tryingtocollectasmuchplasticaswecould.
It mademerealisethatI neededtodosome-
thinginmyart.SoI waspaintingMaldives
seascapesbutI alsostartedtodojustthefish
andtopaintthembig.I ampaintingthem
biggerthantheyareinrealitybutI thinkthe
fishhavetobebig.It makesthemspeak.”
Tew’sfirstartproject,whilestillatuniver-
sity,was alsoconservation-linked. “I read
biologyatuniversityandduringmydegreeI
endedupinZimbabweinthebushworking
ona blackrhinoconservation projectand
didsomestudiesoftherhinosthen.I contin-
uedtopaintAfricanwildlifebutatfirstI was
quiteconflictedaboutwhethertopursueart.
I camebacktotheUKanddidestateagency
andhatedit.ThenI discoveredVeniceand
lovedthemagicofthebayandthelight.My
mindwasmadeupwhenI didsomelimited-
editionprintsandsoldthemtoJohnLewis,
whichgavemethe security to concentrate
onpainting.”
Revisiting his childhood haunts on the
Riviera,Tewbegantopaintthe sceneshe
knewsowell,withinstantsuccess.“I painted
thishotel,it’sonthecoastbetweenMonaco
and Nice, with this amazing swimming pool
lookingoutovertheMediterranean.I saw
it andknewI hadtopaintit.I wantedthe
interplaybetweentheman-madepooland
the natural sea– with the seaending up
as95%ofthe painting.Andthatwassold
througha Londongallery.”Then,bychance,
Tewmettheownersofthehotelona recent
visittoMonacoandhasnowbeencommis-
sionedtorecreatehisoriginalworks.
Aswereadthis,Tewwillbeatworkon
thecliffsoftheCôted’Azure.“Itfeelsa bit
cheeky. I will be working making lots of
imagesbutit isa bitofa justificationfora
holiday.” This time, however, the trip will
have some longer-term plans at heart. “I
will be doing commissioned work, so it
willbetwoweeksofabsorbing,soakingit
upsubconsciouslyandgettingthefeeland
eventuallythefeelingwillcomeoutonthe
canvas.I havesixoreightseascapesunder
wayatthemomentandtwobigfish.ButI
verymuchwanttodoanexhibitioninaidof
marineconservation.SoI amtryingtosew
theseedinMonaco.Wewerestayingatthe
YachtClubearlierthisyearandPrinceAlbert
isverypassionateaboutmarineconserva-
tion.It wouldbewonderfultocreatea gala
dinner where we could capture people’s
attention– and,ofcourse,getthembidding
tobuypaintingstoraisemoney for marine
conservationcharities.”
Tewadds:“Ideally,I wanttogetanexhi-
bitiongoinghere in the UK aswell. I am
hoping towork with Philip Collier of the
Collier&Dobsongalleryin Fordingbridge.
I wanttobuildupa stockoffishandsea-
scapesthat canbe exhibitedsothat I can
thendonatetheproceeds.”Tewshouldeas-
ilybeabletogetpeopletocontributetheir
money– but,equally,he maysucceed in
creatinga donationoffeelings,anemotional
investmentthatiseverybitasimportant if
we are to save the scenery we all love.
ToseemoreofJustinTew’s work, go to:
http://www.justintew.com
YoucanalsoseehisworkatCollier&Dobson,
24 HighStreet,Fordingbridge, Hampshire SP6 1AX;
http://www.collierdobson.com
OthergalleriesshowingTew’sworkinclude:Norton
WayGallery,Letchworth,Hertfordshire
(www.nortonwaygallery.com);theMosaicGallery,
Woburn, Bedfordshire (www.woburnmosaic.co.uk)
Below:PaintedSweetlips
Oppositepage,top:Pangolin
Belowleft:CapFerrat 1
Below right:Bathers near Cap Ferrat
