Gallery and Artist News Blog Art news from Cornwall and French Riviera

Joanne Short inspires French Children

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 09:05:24 +0100

Artist Joanne Short was recently invited by a school in Menton to run a major art project.

Joanne took the children out to draw in Menton. Each child did individual charcoal drawings, starting with their left hand to free them up.

The children then all worked on a square to enlarge an image of Menton and this collaborative charcoal drawing formed the basis of the large final painted backdrop.

In addition to this the class produced a large collage of Menton. The project was run over three days and gave the children and staff a unique experience.

All the work is inspired from Joanne’s paintings and the project has been received with huge enthusiasm from parents, staff and children.

Some of the work from this exciting arts project is being made available on our new community art on demand site so that the children can have their work published and exhibited online.

http://www.johndyergallery.co.uk/community/index.html

Young Darwin Artists

Fri, 5 Jun 2009 12:18:54 +0100

The BIG Darwin 200 Art Competition and Exhibition is shaping up as young artists across the UK submit their masterpieces for the exhibition.

ALL the entries will be printed by Cornwall County Council and a 1 month exhibition of the work will take place in the National Maritime Museum Cornwall during July.

The winners from the competition will be invited to meet artist John Dyer and to receive their prizes as a special event in August held with Newquay Zoo and The John Dyer Gallery at Falmouth Art Gallery.

Milly Newman, Exhibitions Development Manager at the Maritime Museum says: “After the wonderful response we had to last year’s Tall Ships children’s art exhibition, we’re delighted to once again be working with John Dyer on what we’re sure will be an equally popular competition.”

To read more - see the paintings and to enter click here.
http://www.johndyergallery.co.uk/exhibition/Darwin200/paintingcompetition.html

Video Diary of an Artist. Peru.

Fri, 5 Jun 2009 10:56:10 +0100

Video Diary: John Dyer has just completed a new set of ethnobotanical paintings exploring the harvest of the worlds 3rd staple food the potato.   This film is a video diary of John’s adventure and shows in great detail the length of time and research that goes into the paintings.

Working as artist in residence for the international organisation CIP in Peru the video diary takes us from Lima to Cusco, Puno and Lake Titicaca 4000 meters up in the Andes.

The video shows John’s search for his subject, the local people and cultures, landscape and footage of the paintings being realized as the harvest is gathered.

http://www.cipotato.org/

The paintings will be exhibited at some point in the future together with other ethnobotanical works completed by the artist.

The best way to view the 46 minute video is to subscribe to the Podcast in iTunes and wait for it to download before viewing.

Subscribe now.
Or visit our page on iTunes now by clicking here.

The Guides: 100 Years of Fun !

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 10:29:39 +0100

John Dyer has been asked by Girlguiding South West England to complete an important new celebration painting for the centenary of the guides in 2010.
"We are thrilled to announce our partnership with the celebrated Cornish artist, John Dyer. John’s paintings are contemporary, vibrant, fun and full of life, qualities which could equally apply to Guiding as we reach our Centenary."   Gill Slocombe Chief Commissioner.
John has created a triptych painting that celebrates the Centenary. Each painting focuses on one of the ages of guiding - The first painting features mainly Rainbows, the second Brownies and finally the Guides around a roaring camp fire.   The paintings have been published and can be purchased as individual Art Posters and Art Cards in various sizes and prices.  The full triptych of three connecting paintings will be available as a special celebration print in an edition of 100 signed and numbered copies.
In conjunction with the paintings John will be running Guides100, an online art competition and exhibition for Rainbows, Brownies and Guides aged 16 years and younger with some great prizes. Have your painting of Guiding exhibited on The John Dyer Gallery !
Full details on:
http://www.johndyergallery.co.uk/guides100/

Cornish World Magazine feature Book

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 10:47:11 +0000

Cornish World Magazine are featuring John Dyer’s Book - A Vision of Paradise.

The book can be ordered from their web site by following this link.

http://www.cornishworldmagazine.co.uk/shop/A_Vision_of_Paradise_by_John_Dyer-468.htm

The book can also be purchased online directly from The John Dyer Gallery:

http://www.johndyergallery.co.uk/artrange/index.html

Gallery Site on Face Book

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 08:36:01 +0000

Today we have launched a new Gallery web page on the popular social networking site ‘FaceBook’.

This is an experimental page and we hope that our collectors will make use of it. We are also hoping that it will enable new people from around the world to find us on the web in another way.

Let us know what you think and how we can use this site to enhance our online gallery experience.

To view the new public profile and to follow our updates please follow this link:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-John-Dyer-Gallery-Galerie-Monaco/9006797503

County to Sea Magazine features John Dyer

Mon, 9 Mar 2009 20:33:19 +0000

“County to Sea” – the brand new property magazine from Lillicrap Chilcott, Cornwall’s award winning Estate Agency, features a full page article on artist John Dyer.

The magazine features well know Cornish names, artist John Dyer, musician Tim Rice and Neil Haydock, Executive Chef at Fifteen Cornwall. Copies are available from the offices in Truro.  http://www.lillicrapchilcott.com/

John Dyer is one of Cornwall’s best loved and most celebrated artists.
2009 sees him taking on a new challenge as painter in residence at Newquay Zoo for the Darwin 200 anniversary celebrations. As a 21 year old student John took a life-changing trip to the Amazon – a trip that was to open his eyes to Cornwall afresh . . .

“When I returned to Cornwall after my experience of the Amazon I noticed what I had taken for granted for years; the plants growing in Cornwall, palms on the sea front, sea ferns and cactus mixed together in gardens – places like Trebah Gardens and The Lost Gardens of Heligan were being rediscovered. Taking a boat trip up Frenchman’s Creek was a deja vue experience for me – large fallen trees half submerged in the water, foliage tumbling down steep slopes, birds echoing in the undergrowth – this was as Amazonian as it got for me and I realised Cornwall had it all.” 
“The light . . .”
“When the sun comes out the landscape fills with colour, the light pours over the vegetation filling each leaf with radiant colours, and turning cool waters into Mediterranean delights. I love living in Cornwall and I love painting.” 
“damp noses and peeling paint . . .”
“I spend every day that I can out and about painting what I see – bright colours, sunshine and fun, small dogs with damp noses, peeling paint and peeling people, shells on the beach, sea spray in the air, jazz bands in bandstands, picnics on cliff tops, bright coloured smocks, cactus plants
on walls and banana plants in the park, small coves, surf and still waters, the red moon on the horizon and stars, comets and crickets; lighthouses and cottages, fishing boats and floats, clear skies and big skies, seagulls, greedy gulls and silly gulls, buckets of crab, fishermen in yellow oilskins, cats stealing fish, sea pinks and mermaids, ferry boats and flags.” 
“My inspiration . . .”
“These are just some of the things that inspire my
paintings. My work documents my trips out into the landscape and the things that I enjoy. Through my paintings I hope to lift people’s spirits and provide an optimistic outlook on life.”

Darwin Painting now on display

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 13:29:45 +0000

John Dyer’s first painting of his Darwin residency is now on display at the Falmouth Art Gallery in Cornwall as part of their Voyages of Discovery Exhibition.

The exhibition is open until 18th April and further details can be found on the following link.

http://www.falmouthartgallery.com/Seasonal%20Exhibitions/seasonalhome2009.html

King Harry’s Cornwall Feature the Gallery

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 09:50:14 +0000

The popular Cornish web site King Harry’s Cornwall have a lead news story on The John Dyer Gallery and the Darwin 200 BIG art competition.

“Exciting new art competition for children under 16
Local galleries and visitor attractions launch Darwin art competition
To mark the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin on 12 February, the John Dyer Gallery, Falmouth Art Gallery, Newquay Zoo and National Maritime Museum Cornwall are launching an exciting new art competition for children under sixteen.

As part of the Darwin 200 celebrations children from across the UK are invited to take part by producing a work of art inspired by Darwin's famous voyage in HMS Beagle and the discoveries he made.
Local artist John Dyer says: "In Darwin's day, before photography, artists, and especially painters, would have been taken on voyages to depict the landscapes, flora and animals they encountered. We're asking children to get creative and paint a picture based on Darwin's voyage and his discoveries. This could be a painting of the Tall Ship HMS Beagle sailing into Falmouth or some other exotic location, or perhaps children could paint a picture of the animals at their local Zoo. The possibilities are endless!"

Milly Newman, Exhibitions Development Manager at the Maritime Museum says: "After the wonderful response we had to last year's Tall Ships children's art exhibition, we're delighted to once again be working with John Dyer on what we're sure will be an equally popular competition."

All of the entries will be displayed at both the National Maritime Museum Cornwall and Newquay Zoo as well as on line at www.johndyergallery.co.uk and the winners will be announced in the summer.

To enter simply take a photograph of your artwork and send it to art@johndyergallery.co.uk. Please remember to include your name and age and the title, size and medium of the picture in the subject line. Alternatively entries can be posted to The John Dyer Gallery, PO Box 285, Falmouth, Cornwall TR11 9AD. Unfortunately postal entries can not be returned.
For full details please visit www.johndyergallery.co.uk.”

http://www.kingharryscornwall.co.uk/news/1167

BBC feature 1st Darwin painting

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 20:20:12 +0000

Artist John Dyer’s first painting in his Darwin series is being featured as part of an article on Cornwall’s celebrations for the event.

Falmouth Art Gallery have an amazing series of exhibitions planned for 2009 and the first of these “Voyages of Discovery” opens tomorrow.

To read the article please see this link.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cornwall/content/articles/2009/02/12/naturedarwin200_feature.shtml

http://www.bbc.co.uk:80/cornwall/content/image_galleries/nature_darwin200_gallery.shtml?3

Darwin Art Competition Launched !

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 09:08:54 +0000

 Calling all young artists !  See your art on The John Dyer Gallery and on display at the National Maritime Museum in Cornwall and Newquay Zoo.

We would like you to create a picture based on Darwin's voyage and discoveries.   This could be a painting of the Tall Ship HMS Beagle sailing into Falmouth or at an exotic location, or perhaps you could paint a picture of the animals at your local Zoo. The possibilities are endless !  Please get your parents permission and then take a fantastic digital photograph of your picture - straight and well lit.  Email your photograph to us before July 2009 and in the subject line of the email type your name, age and title, size and medium of the picture.
For full details please see this link: http://www.johndyergallery.co.uk/exhibition/Darwin200/paintingcompetition.html

We have lots of prizes planned, including: Signed Prints by John Dyer worth £95 Goody Bags from the National Maritime Museum and Amazing prizes from Newquay Zoo  Judges from Falmouth Art Gallery, the National Maritime Museum Cornwall and Newquay Zoo.

Art Gallery YouTube Channel

Sat, 7 Feb 2009 17:39:07 +0000

We have always posted some of our video content on You Tube but we have decided to add a You Tube Channel to the site so that our videos all appear in one easy to find location. We will try and add all our videos to YouTube as soon as we can.

We also post our videos as Podcasts in iTunes, which is a very nice solution. Once you have subscribed they will download in iTunes for you the moment we publish them.

To view in iTunes click here.

Falmouth Art Gallery Acquire Ted Dyer Original

Mon, 2 Feb 2009 19:26:13 +0000

As snow settles over Falmouth the Falmouth Art Gallery have acquired an important and rare painting by Falmouth based artist Ted Dyer.

Ted Dyer is one of Cornwall’s best known painters (and the father of artist John Dyer) and his work has been exhibited in the county for over forty years.  The artist’s work naturally sits at the center of the ‘Cornish Impressionists’ and is widely regarded as some of the most collectable of contemporary art in the county.  The painting that has been selected to go into the permanent collection by Brian Stewart, the director of the Falmouth Art Gallery is titled “Walking in a Snow Flurry, Falmouth” and is 10 x 12 inches oil on board.

It is a very rare painting of those fleeting moments when snow settles in Falmouth and features a lone figure and a dog on Gyllyngvase Beach.

It is a very atmospheric piece of work and captures the magic of a snowy day on the south coast. The painting can be seen on request at the gallery and will also be exhibited in a range of exhibitions in forthcoming years.  Ted Dyer’s most recent paintings can be seen online at  http://www.johndyergallery.co.uk

Gallery Tweets from Falmouth in the UK and Monaco on the Côte d’Azur

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 22:12:55 +0000

We now have a twitter account that we will add ‘tweets’ to regarding our artists and exhibitions. Why not follow us ?

Wikipedia entry added for Artist John Dyer

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 13:03:50 +0000

A new entry on the worlds most popular online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, has been created for artist John Dyer.

Independent editors have created the entry that went online this week. The new web page offers links to all of the web sites featuring information on the artist and a history of the artist’s education and professional projects and exhibitions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dyer_(painter)

Newquay Zoo Feature John Dyer

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 20:41:43 +0000

The Newquay Zoo web site is currently featuring John Dyer’s first Darwin 200 painting “Happy Bird Day at the Zoo”.
The web site has full details of the exciting new Darwin200 residency that John has been chosen for. Full details on:

http://www.newquayzoo.org.uk/

Natural History Museum

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 20:22:18 +0000

A Day at The Zoo.

John Dyer has been selected as the Darwin 200 Painter in Residence and details of his new paintings and planned exhibitions are now appearing on The Natural History Museum Darwin 200 web site.

Link to Darwin Site  Darwin’s Voyage

Ted Dyer joins the John Dyer Gallery

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 12:10:56 +0000

The celebrated Cornish based artist Ted Dyer has joined the John Dyer Gallery as a gallery artist for 2009.

Ted Dyer has an enviable artistic reputation spanning over 40 years.

The artist’s paintings will be exhibited alongside the internationally acclaimed work of John Dyer and Joanne Short and will also be represented by Galerie Monaco, part of the online John Dyer Gallery.

“We have already had a huge response to Ted’s work and look forward to representing him and his paintings for many years to come. We have placed many originals with private collectors and one into an important public collection for him during his first few weeks with us.”

The first exhibition of work from Ted will be an exclusive selection of oils and watercolours from the artist’s studio which will be released during the first part of 2009. Further details on the gallery web site.

Artist Donates Limited Print to Council

Sun, 4 Jan 2009 17:28:12 +0000

A COLOURFUL reminder of the Funchal 500 Tall Ships Regatta is to adorn the walls of Falmouth's council chamber thanks to the generosity of local artist, John Dyer.
His painting, Tall Ships and Small Ships, was used on the front cover of the official Tall Ships programme and he also donated several prints to the event's organisers.
Carrick District Council and the Tall Ships organising committee in Falmouth have since presented the paintings to several of the regatta's lead partners, including Falmouth Town Council. The painting was accepted by the town's mayor, Mike Varney.
The print was presented by Carrick tourism officer, Samantha Groom, and John Hick, chairman of the Falmouth organising committee.
Sam said: "John Dyer gave the prints as a thank-you. He really was fantastic. It was really generous of him and enabled us to give everyone a thank-you."

New Working Partners for the Gallery

Wed, 3 Dec 2008 13:24:14 +0000

The John Dyer Gallery is now well established as probably Cornwall’s leading independent online art gallery.

One of the great strengths of the gallery are the links it forges between major organisations, the community and the artists it represents and the way that this results in cutting edge exhibitions beyond traditional gallery walls.

The John Dyer Gallery is very proud to have St Michael’s Mount, The National Trust, The Eden Project, Banrock Station Wine, Falmouth Tall Ships, The Sail Training Association, Carrick Council and The National Maritime Museum as organisations who have worked with us and in 2009 we can announce we have some exciting new partners.

Falmouth Art Gallery and Newquay Zoo will be working with The John Dyer Gallery on the Darwin 200 exhibition and celebrations.

Artist John Dyer has been appointed as the Resident Artist for Darwin 200 and his work produced during the residency will be showcased by The Falmouth Art Gallery and also in a major exhibition in September 2009 that will also include the exquisite paintings by artist Joanne Short.

Full Details of the new project on this link.

John Dyer is Resident Artist for Cornish Darwin 200 project at Newquay Zoo

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:30:06 +0000

John Dyer the celebrated Cornish painter will go back to his roots in many ways when painting at Newquay Zoo for the Darwin200 celebrations in 2009.   John grew up near Newquay at Holywell Bay and has spent time overseas painting plants and animals in many places linked to the zoo’s overseas projects including the Philippines, an area the zoo will be representing in its new Philippine exhibit in 2009.

“I am very pleased and inspired to be working with animals and birds in my paintings again.” says John Dyer. 

John will be one of many Cornish painters, photographers, cartoonists and printmakers inspired by the zoo and working alongside keepers to build up a bank of contemporary new works for the award winning “fabulous, family friendly and free” Falmouth Art Gallery collection and its Darwin 200 exhibitions.

“In Darwin’s day and on other great voyages of discovery before photography, artists were routinely taken along to record the landscapes, plants and animals they discovered, so we are both working within a long tradition and also using new media in these exhibitions,” says Zoo Director and wildlife illustrator Stewart Muir.

“We’ve never had a resident artist at the zoo. We’re very excited! Although John Dyer as our Darwin 200 artist in residence will be painting in and around enclosures, we will kindly be letting him go home to his family at the end of the day !” quips the zoo’s Darwin 200 coordinator and Education Officer Mark Norris.   “We look forward to seeing these new works once finished on display in Falmouth and at the zoo in Darwin’s anniversary year 2009.” Newquay Zoo

The residency is the result of a successful application to the Heritage Lottery Fund for the Falmouth Art Gallery, Newquay Zoo and partners to receive an award of £50,000 to undertake a year long project to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin (1809-1882).

The project is being mounted in partnership with Newquay Zoo, Penlee House Gallery & Museum , University College Falmouth, The John Dyer Gallery and The Heritage Lottery Fund. The partnership will host a season of exhibitions, events and community activities as part of the national Darwin 200 celebrations www.darwin200.org

“The most important journey of the nineteenth century – perhaps the most important journey ever – was undertaken by Charles Darwin on The Beagle between 1831 and 1836” says Falmouth Art Gallery director Brian Stewart.

“Little known is the fact that Darwin would have sent and received specimens throughout his voyage and later studies back to this country via Falmouth and the packet ships. The HMS Beagle finally returned to Falmouth on the October 2, 1836, and so Cornwall and Falmouth are linked to the Darwin story and the publication of The Origin of Species, both of which are celebrated worldwide.”

The John Dyer Gallery and Darwin 200 project.

Thu, 2 Oct 2008 14:00:58 +0100

By Stephen Ivall Falmouth Packet Newspapers http://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/fpfalmouth/3702837.Falmouth_to_celebrate_Charles_Darwin_s_birth/

A successful application to the Heritage Lottery Fund has led the Falmouth Art Gallery to receive an award of £50,000 to undertake a year long project to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin (1809-1882).
The vast majority of the money will be spent in Cornwall and will be for additional activities to those funded by Falmouth town council.
The most important journey of the nineteenth century – perhaps the most important journey ever – was undertaken by Charles Darwin on The Beagle between 1831 and 1836, says gallery director Brian Stewart.
“Little known is the fact that Darwin sent specimens throughout his voyage back to this country via Falmouth and the packet ships. The Beagle finally returned to Falmouth on the October 2, 1836, and so the town is central to the Darwin story and the publication of The Origin of Species, both of which are celebrated worldwide.”
The project will be mounted in partnership with Newquay Zoo, Penlee House Gallery & Museum and University College Falmouth. The partnership will host a season of exhibitions, events and community activities as part of the Darwin 200 celebrations.
The gallery is dedicating its 2009 exhibitions programme to the celebrations with four Darwin themed exhibitions. These will be Voyages of Discovery (14 Feb – 18 April), Species (25 April – 27 June), A Day at the Zoo (4 July – 5 September) and Expressions in Man and Animals (12 September – 7 November). John Dyer will be artist in residence for the Cornish Darwin 200 project working on a project at Newquay Zoo. Important Cornish artists including Susan Boafo, Vince Bevan, Robert Bradford, Kurt Jackson, Oxana Mazur, Paul Spooner, Carlos Zapata, and Keith Newstead will all exhibit work as part of the project. A special feature will be the showing of Underwater Cornwall photographs by award winning Mark Webster and the launch of his new book during the exhibition Voyages of Discovery.
An accompanying community education programme that will involve exciting animal and plant themed activities will also be held and Newquay Zoo will hold a series of events throughout 2009 including Darwin themed trails, exhibitions and family workshops. Falmouth artist John Dyer is to become the zoo’s artist in residence during the celebrations that will result in an exhibition of his animal inspired works. Penlee House Gallery & Museum will be celebrating Darwin’s birthday with an exhibition that looks at the flora and fauna of Cornwall through the eyes of artists, photographers, scientists and collectors. Wild Cornwall (21 March – 13 June 2009) will combine beautiful imagery with fascinating fact utilising pieces from the gallery’s own collection as well as loans from public and private collections.

John Dyer Painting used on French Poster

Wed, 1 Oct 2008 14:24:00 +0100

 The Conservatoire de musique,danse et théâtre de Menton on the Côte d’Azur have used John Dyer’s “Bienvenue au Conservatoire” painting for the poster to advertise the new academic year.

The large poster is currently on display all around the town of Menton in France as you can see from the following photographs.

Enormous Press Support for Gallery

Sun, 21 Sep 2008 15:20:36 +0100

The Press in Cornwall have shown enormous support of The John Dyer Gallery and its working partners during the Tall Ships Regatta.

The Packet Newspaper, West Briton, Cornwall Today, BBC Spotlight TV, BBC Radio Cornwall and ITV Westcountry TV all gave their time and column inches to support the creative,commercial and community aspects of the work carried out by the gallery during the event.

“This has been an amazing project and it shows the power of getting the balance between commercial success and community involvement right. Without the support of the press it would have been impossible and we would like to thank all the journalists and publishers involved.” John Dyer 2008

The press featured the artists own paintings, the charity auction and the work from the 149 children who entered the painting competition organised by the NMMC, Falmouth Art Gallery, Falmouth Tall Ships and The John Dyer Gallery.

“We have had live Radio interviews, many articles in the newspapers and support on both BBC and ITV TV for our exhibition event and we are extremely grateful for this.”  The John Dyer Gallery.

Official opening of Devoran School

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 16:58:10 +0100

Devoran School celebrated its First Birthday with a special ceremony including the official unveiling of the school’s new two metre ceramic mural, dance, poetry and musical performances by pupils and cream teas for guests. Staff, pupils and governors from the school moved into their new £3 million building in September last year. Now, twelve months on, they staged an Open Afternoon to celebrate the move and enable local residents and invited guests to look around their new school. Guests included former headteachers, staff and governors, members of local scouts, guides and brownie groups, members of Feock parish council and the local Parochial Church Council.
A tour of the school and a cream tea was followed by speeches not least from chairman of governors Richard Williams.
Artist John Dyer cut a ribbon to mark the official opening of the colourful ceramic mural made by pupils with support from the school’s art club teacher Lucie Fitton and local potter and parent Jacqueline Clark at the end of last term. The design for the mural, which has been erected at the front of the school, was inspired by John Dyer’s work and incorporates themes of the local environment as well as the many circular architectural features found around the new school building. Pupils later performed dance, poetry and music and ended in a huge firework display.
Headteacher Carol Breakwell said: “The move to the new site has been very exciting for Devoran School. The original building housed a superb school and it is our team spirit and ethos for creative and enjoyable learning that we have brought with us to the new building.
“We are still very much at the heart of the community and so it seems right that our celebrations include everyone because they have made all this possible for our future learners.”
Mr Williams said: “This special day was an opportunity to thank everyone who had made a significant contribution to the excellent facilities which the school now benefits from and to celebrate the creativity that is at the heart of everything the school does.”
The new school, which includes seven classrooms, an special educational needs room, hall, kitchen, a resources room for IT and library work, hard play area, ball court, playing field and a special habitat area with an amphitheatre, was positioned to take advantage of the natural light, sun paths and views. Each of the classrooms is south west facing with views across the creek and open countryside and has direct access to a quiet teaching area.

Exhibition sells out in 15 minutes !

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 23:14:11 +0100

On Friday 12th September The John Dyer Gallery working in partnership with the National Maritime Museum and Falmouth Tall Ships and supported by Banrock Station Wine opened what was to become possibly Cornwall’s fastest ever and busiest art exhibition in recent history.

John Dyer is probably Cornwall’s best known living artist and has a wide international reputation and following.

“We have never experienced anything quite like it”  was the comment from the National Maritime Museum.

A large crowd of people queued at the entrance to the museum in anticipation of the 6.30 opening time. The John Dyer Gallery had filled the guest list with 300 RSVP guests and VIP responses.

The crowd was separated into categories for entrance - buyers first - followed by viewers and families with children who had won prizes in the Tall Ships Art competition.

“We gave people the option of the lift or the stairs, and then the race was on !”

People raced through the museum to try to reserve the painting of their choice.

One collector remarked:
“The lift stopped at the wrong floor which gave us an advantage as we raced up the stairs!”

Guests didn’t stop for welcome drinks on the way in, but returned later to sample the delicious Banrock Station sparkling White and Rose wines.

This was one of the largest crowds the museum has hosted, and it was certainly an event that caught the imagination of hundreds of people.

In addition to the new paintings by John Dyer there was also an incredible display curated by Milly Newman from the NMMC of the 149 children’s paintings entered for the competition the artist organsied.

The prize winning children traveled from all over the country to attend the event with their family’s and they each received a huge round of applause, a goody bag stuffed full of amazing things from the museum and an official John Dyer Tall Ships Limited Edition Print.

Some of the parents comments are listed below: 
“The exhibition certainly was a triumph and so much work went into the whole event, the art and the competition”

“He got some lovely feedback from people there. He is very proud”

“She came out walking on cloud nine”

“A big thank you and well done for such a lovely competition. My children really enjoyed creating their pictures and then seeing them online amongst the other beautiful entries”

“Thanks too for the competition – he loved doing the picture and we all love the result”

The director of the Maritime Museum Jonathan Griffin and the chairman of the Falmouth Tall Ships John Hick both gave speeches at the event and thanked the artist for the event, his community involvement and his generosity in allowing the Funchal 500 Regatta Falmouth to use the painting “Tall Ships and Small Ships ’08” as the Regatta’s image on the official programme.

“John Dyer’s painting has helped us to sell lots of the programmes and this is an enormous contribution.”

TALL SHIPS AND SMALL SHIPS AN INSPIRATION FOR YOUNG ARTISTS

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:58:47 +0100

The Waterside Café at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall has come to life during the Tall Ships regatta with an exhibition of children’s artwork inspired by Tall Ships and Small Ships.  The fantastic paintings are on display as part of John Dyer’s Children’s Painting Competition and includes work by children from right across the UK. The art competition being run by John Dyer, the Regatta’s official artist, aimed to encourage younger children to express their creativity in a piece of artwork.  Since the competition was launch there have been almost 150 entries, making the job of the judges from Falmouth Art Gallery and the National Maritime Museum Cornwall all the more difficult.  Exhibitions Development Assistant, Milly Newman who organised the exhibition says “It’s wonderful to see the Tall Ships inspiring such creativity. And not just from children in Cornwall but from children all over the country. It has been a real pleasure to be able to display their work for our visitors to enjoy.”
The winners have been invited to attend a special private view reception at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall in Falmouth tonight.

All of the children’s entries will be on display at the Museum until the end of the month and can also be viewed online at www.johndyergallery.co.uk.

The winning entries:

Fergus Hughes, Aged 4. "Storm picture".
Emily Newton, Aged 4. “The Big Ship Sails on the Allie, Allie O”.
Jac Cockcroft, Aged 5, “At the Lighthouse”.
Oliver Murgatroyd, Aged 6. "Big Ships and Tall Ships".
Bryn Owen, aged 7. "Celebrations Big and Small".
Izzy Boitoult, aged 8. "Fireworks over Tall Ships and Small Ships".
Megan Breckell, aged 9. Untitled.
Ryan, aged 9. "Billowing Sails"
Charlotte Reburn, Aged 10. “Bright Ship, Dark Night”.
Aron Clarke, aged 14. “Festival Cove”.

Michael Sweeney
Communications Assistant
National Maritime Museum Cornwall - Visitor Attraction of the Year at the Cornwall Tourism Awards
01326 214558 (Monday to Friday 9-5pm)

Gallery Displays around Falmouth

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:17:47 +0100

As the Tall Ships Sail into Falmouth The John Dyer Gallery is preparing for one of its biggest events yet.

With 100,000 people due in the town the gallery has partnered with Carrick Council and the Falmouth Tall Ships to enable 5 point of displays to be set up around the town and by the Tall Ships to display the official Limited Edition Print and Official Programme.

The Gallery is delighted to have agreed point of displays at:

•Falmouth Tourist Information

•Church Street Regatta Shopping Village

•Events Square

•National Maritime Museum

•The Docks Queen’s Wharf

The displays are manned by volunteers from Falmouth Tall Ships and working partners of the event.

National Trust Feature John Dyer

Thu, 4 Sep 2008 21:10:35 +0100

The National Trust have again chosen to feature Glendurgan Garden in their “Enjoy a great day out in Cornwall” leaflet by featuring a painting by Artist John Dyer rather than a traditional photograph.

The forward thinking management of Glendurgan Garden acquired the original painting “Amazing Mayhem in the Maze in May” by John Dyer and it is now proudly hung at the entrance to the gardens and is used by the Trust as the contemporary image of Glendurgan.

An artist guaranteed to appreciate over time

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 12:59:38 +0100

The Visit Cornwall web site run by the Cornish Tourist Board has a web page dedicated to Cornish art with two of the counties best known artists mentioned; Kurt Jackson and John Dyer. 
“You can still pick up a piece by an artist guaranteed to appreciate over time like Kurt Jackson, for example, or John Dyer.”

The John Dyer gallery is also linked to from two other new sites this month.

The National Maritime Museum Cornwall and the Falmouth Tall Ships web sites are both linking from their front pages to The John Dyer Gallery during the Tall Ships Regatta to promote the work that the gallery and artist John Dyer are doing during this historic event.

Visit the web sites on these links:

http://www.falmouthtallships.co.uk/

http://www.nmmc.co.uk/

http://www.visitcornwall.com/site/tourist-attractions/galleries

Falmouth Art Gallery Permanent Collection

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 14:54:27 +0100

The Origins of the Collection
Falmouth Art Gallery has one of the leading art collections in Cornwall and features work by old masters, major Victorian artists, British Impressionists, leading maritime artists and contemporary painters and printmakers.

The painting by John Dyer in the permanent collectionof Falmouth Art Gallery was commissioned with funding from Brunel 200, an initiative of Bristol Cultural Development Partnership - Arts Council England South West, Heritage Lottery Fund, Bristol City Council and Business West.

The painting can now be viewed online on this link:
http://fag.looksystems.net/Collection/2006.5

The painting is included in exhibitions at the Falmouth Art Gallery and when it is not on display visitors to the gallery my request to see the painting in the gallery vault.

For more information please contact Falmouth Art Gallery.
http://www.falmouthartgallery.com/index.html

Toyah’s Art’s in the Sun

Sat, 9 Aug 2008 10:20:02 +0100

In the September 2008 issue of A Place in the Sun Magazine you can find an article on Toyah Willcox and her home in Menton in France.

The article talks about Menton and also features paintings from Galerie Monaco by artists John Dyer and Joanne Short.

Toyah is the latest in a line of celebrity collectors who own the artists’ work. Two of the paintings she owns are on display in her apartment in Menton, France.

View Galerie Monaco to see the paintings. www.galeriemonaco.com

If you would like to stay in Toyah’s apartment please contact A+ Properties on www.aplusproperties.co.uk

Children’s Tall Ships Art Competition Launched

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:57:47 +0100

Falmouth Tall Ships, The National Maritime Museum Cornwall and The John Dyer Gallery are pleased to announce the launch of one of Cornwall’s biggest ever children’s art competitions.
Children across the UK up to and including the age of 16 are invited to paint or use mixed media to create a stunning picture on the subject of “Tall Ships and Small Ships”.
The pictures should be emailed into the competition and they will all be displayed on our amazing interactive gallery.
The winners will be invited to a VIP reception at the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth on Friday 12th September 2008.
Prizes and Judges to be announced soon.
For full details and to enter please click here.

New John Dyer Tall Ships painting features on Official Event Programme

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:58:51 +0100

An exciting new painting commissioned by Falmouth Tall Ships by artist John Dyer features on the cover of the official programme for the Funchal 500 Tall Ships’ Regatta Falmouth.

The Programme will be available from late August from Falmouth Tourist Information and is priced at £2 Call 01326 312300 for further information.

Limited Edition Prints of the painting will also be made available soon.  The original painting, 33 x 40 inches in size, will be released for sale as part of a new exhibition of work that will be exhibited during the event on Friday 12th September 2008.

Further details

Inspired by the art of John Dyer

Mon, 7 Jul 2008 23:57:44 +0100

Children and staff at Devoran Primary School celebrated the first year in their exciting new building by taking part in a week long arts project.
Lead teacher Lucie Fitton and local potter and parent Jacqueline Clark had the initial idea to design and make a ceramic mural that each pupil in the school could contribute to. The finished design for the mural was inspired by the work of artist John Dyer and incorporates themes of the local environment as well as the many circular architectural features found around the new school building.
The week started with a visit and painting workshop from John Dyer who inspired the children with his lively approach to colour and composition. Every child then produced a Cornish landscape of their own which will be displayed at the official opening of the school in September.
Devoran headteacher Carol Breakwell said: “We feel so privileged to have been able to spend a day working with John Dyer and then through the week with Jacqueline. It has made an enormous difference to the children’s creativity and motivation to work with such inspiring artists.”
The whole mural was then pieced together like a giant jigsaw puzzle and will be extremely effective once it is on the wall. On completion the two metre diameter mural made from Cornish clay will be positioned in pride of place by the school entrance.
The school will be officially opened by John Dyer in September 2008

French children paint with British artists

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 13:02:01 +0100

Artists Joanne Short and John Dyer were asked by a main primary school in Menton, France to join the children and teachers on the Îles de Lérins, an island off the coast of Cannes, to inspire the children to paint and participate in a large collaborative major canvas.

“This was a real challenge for us as the workshop had to be run in French, but we found that our visual language was quickly picked up by the children who produced over thirty paintings and the large final canvas.”

The final painting will be presented to the school and hung on permanent display for the children to enjoy.

(A big thank you to Damien and Maree for the baby-sitting !)

Ballet and Art combine on Côte d’Azur

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 13:18:33 +0100

The Conservatoire of Dance and Music in Menton, South of France, asked Galerie Monaco and artist John Dyer if they would allow some of the paintings from the “Singing and Zinging” exhibition to be used for the Ballet Spectacular in the Palais de l’Europe theatre.

The Ballet “Petrouchka” was directed by Jérôme Chrétien, the professor of Ballet at the Conservatoire. The artist worked with the director to select the paintings and set the stage with the lights to create a ‘live’ painting that the dancers appeared to be part of.

“This is a very exciting project which we are planning to develop further during 2009. The audience loved the combination of art and dance and as an artist I can see many possibilities of combining these two great mediums. It really was a very exciting event” John Dyer.

New John Dyer Organic Cotton Bag

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:35:11 +0100

King Charles School commission John Dyer to design eco-bag 
“Cornish fresh air, Plant diversity and Seaside fun in the environment”

The ‘KC Green’ Team of Children and staff at King Charles Primary School in Falmouth, Cornwall have asked artist John Dyer if he would produce a design for them for their new eco-bag.

“John has long been a great friend to the school. Even though he and his wife Joanne Short are currently resident artists at The Hanbury Gardens in the South of France he still responded positively to a request to support the school’s GREEN CAMPAIGN. Long time supporter of the environment, John was only too pleased to submit a beautiful design for our organic cotton bags. The bags symbolise our commitment to becoming a sustainable school, whilst providing a useful means of raising awareness of global issues in the local community.”  King Charles School.

“This has been a great project to be involved in, the school is really trying to engage the children with the environment - they even have their own acre of rainforest ! I exchanged emails about the design and also the benefits of organic cotton before I submitted my ideas to the children. For me the bag needed to have the essence of Cornish fresh air, Plant diversity and Seaside fun in the environment and the result looks great !” John Dyer

The bags are on sale now from the school
http://web.mac.com/kingcharles1/kingcharles1/Home.html

Galerie Monaco Launched

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 21:04:29 +0100

Artists Joanne Short and John Dyer held a ‘Vernissage’ private view event in central Monaco to launch their latest exhibition of paintings and the new online gallery ‘Galerie Monaco’.

The location for the launch event was the spectacular Belle Epoque Hôtel Hermitage at Casino Square Monaco.

The Flute Orchestra from the Conservatoire of Music from Menton played a concert at the venue to celebrate the event which was well attended by many people from France, Monaco and the UK.

Some of the guests flew in from the UK especially to catch the event. Guests were greeted with chilled rose wine and perrier at the famous Salon Jardin d’Hiver within the Hôtel.

www.galeriemonaco.com will run in conjunction with www.johndyergallery.co.uk and the new gallery is already making waves in the area with several significant commissions and sales secured at the opening event.

Toyah Willcox, who owns property on the Côte d’Azur, is one of the new collectors of the artists work who has been attracted by the online gallery and event.

“Your fantastic paintings not only brought the apartment to life, but also put the energy of the Riviera indoors!” Toyah Willcox 2008

View the podcast of the opening

John Dyer "Official Artist” for Tall Ships ‘08

Fri, 6 Jun 2008 10:37:14 +0100

BREAKING NEWS Artist John Dyer has been asked to be "Official Artist for the Funchal 500 Tall Ships Regatta Falmouth 08"

Ten years since the last Tall Ships event when John Dyer was the official artist for the Tall Ships he has been asked by Carrick Council to be the Official Artist for the Funchal 500 Tall Ships Regatta in Falmouth 2008.

“I am delighted to be involved in this amazing event and have a new series of spectacular paintings planned.It is a real honor to be asked to be the official artist and I am looking forward to working with the Tall Ships team.”  Both the artist and The John Dyer Gallery will be supporting the event.  http://www.johndyergallery.co.uk/exhibition/TallShips2008/ 
http://www.falmouthtallships.co.uk/

Further details will follow.

Gallery and Artist News Blog Art news from Cornwall and French Riviera