Neil Pinkett takes you through the stages of creating
this painting, explaining his palette knife method.
Photography: Newlyn School of Art
Harbour Life
Oils with a palette knife
N
eil Pinkett has lived
in Cornwall most
of his life and, he
says, its dramatic
environment has inspired him
to paint. “The landmass of
West Penwith is small but
encompasses such geographic
diversity – from the turquoise
seas of Lamorna on the south
coast to the wild rocky outcrops
and crashing waves of the north
coast, and great stretches of
moorland in between,“ he
enthuses. “I work with a knife
as I want to express as forcefully
as I can the forces of nature, the
ever-changing elements, cloud
formations, piercing blue skies
over acres of red bracken; the
raw beauty of the landscape.“
MATERIALS
OPrimed oil/acrylic canvas
textured paper with a thin
Phthalo Blue and white,
and Alizarin Crimson and
Cadmium Yellow alkyd paint
wash applied and dried in
advance of the day.
Neil chooses a vantage point
on the quayside so that rather
than being full on to the front
of the boat, he can see some of
the far side and find a pleasing
shape from the side of the hull.