1 of 6
Amanda Hoskins - Gorse Cliffs
Amanda Hoskins - Gorse Cliffs
2 of 6
Amanda Hoskins
Amanda Hoskins
3 of 6
Amanda Hoskins - Moorland Stream
Amanda Hoskins - Moorland Stream
4 of 6
Amanda Hoskins - Gorse Cliffs
Amanda Hoskins - Gorse Cliffs
5 of 6
Amanda Hoskins - Summer Pinks
Amanda Hoskins - Summer Pinks
6 of 6
Amanda Hoskins - Summer Seas
Amanda Hoskins - Summer Seas
Amanda Hoskins - Artist
What did you do before painting?
I was a sailing instructor! I finished my fine Arts Degree at Falmouth College of Arts in 1992. At that time, I was painting minuscule gouache wildlife pictures for hours – it began to drive me mad. I just felt I had to do something else and the only other thing I knew was sailing. I began going out to sea as a toddler with my grandfather. I had my own four-metre wooden dinghy by the time I was 14. So I took up sailing again at nearby Mylor and became an instructor. It seemed a natural thing to do, and in fact it was the right thing to do as it took me back to painting and a totally different style.
So what happened?
Following the birth of my daughter Hannah and a move to Fowey, we renovated a stone cottage and upstairs in the spare room, I dusted down all my painting stuff and set up again. I think that sailing released me from the tight, fine paintings that constricted me before. Under the influence of the weather, sea and coastline and surrounded by vast, open skies, I started painting again by working on sky studies – it was quite scary at first, stopping myself overworking the subject. I was determined though and started to produce a luminous, layered effect. It took time, but I truly believe that my job as a sailing instructor helped me become a serious artist. Being on the water all day was fundamental to freeing up my style.
What mediums do you work in?
I guess you could say I am a tactile artist. I use a palette knife and my hands to apply paint. I like to experiment with mixed media and collage, I use all sorts, anything that takes my fancy at the time – bits of flowers, leaves, gorse, and I barely take up a brush these days except to flick the shimmer into the seas and the spray and light effects onto the headland. Recent large paintings have been oil on paper.
..and favourite subjects?
I am a romantic and love tranquillity, big vistas of skies and cliff tops, and the moors, but mainly the coastline. You will never find boats, human figures or wildlife in my paintings – I edit them out of any view that I paint. They interfere with the painting and I don’t want to distract the viewer or interfere with the colour, light and sky.
… and free time?
It's funny, I get asked that a lot, but when you are an artist, everything is about finding the next subject. I am constantly seeking out fresh inspiration on land and water. I sail my Contessa 32, a classic ten-metre cruiser-racer boat two or three times a week during the season and my camera is always nearby and regularly go hiking with my sketchbook. Each season reveals a different picture and just an hour’s walk can give me a whole new set of ideas. My latest project is walking the entire south and north coast of the country and I’m determined to sail it one day too.
…the best bits?
That I seem to have passed on my passion for both art and sailing to my daughter Hannah. She comes with me hiking and sailing since she was six. She has her own set of watercolours and pencils and looks over my shoulder for tips. She’s great company and will often point out a view she thinks I should paint next.
.. what about relaxing?
When most people escape the city and flock to the coast for relaxation, going to London as I do for art fairs is the only way I can switch off. I also love to sail round to Dartmouth. It can take two or three days, from Fowey beyond Plymouth, round Bolt Head, through Start Bay and into Dartmouth, one of the best 50 miles of sea around!
Amanda’s paintings can be seen at the D’Art Gallery in Lower Street www.dart-gallery.com
Tel: 01803 834923 for details
First published June 2008, By The Dart