Neil Davies | Walking the Dog

NEIL D AV I E S ‘ WA L K I N G THE DOG’

2 ND - 2 9 TH J U LY 2 0 2 2

1. A Rest and a Drink - and Maybe a Biscuit (front cover) Before we turn up the track to Bussow Reservoir, Obi likes to stop for a drink from the stream, a quick sit-down, and if he’s lucky, a couple of biscuits from my pocket. I tend to go for just the sit-down….

N E I L D AV I E S ‘ WA L K I N G T H E D O G ’

In 2020, Neil Davies and his family acquired their first dog, a Border Beagle puppy named Obi. Having to walk a lively puppy twice a day has meant getting to know the immediate locality better than ever before, exploring each and every footpath in all directions within a couple of miles of their house, and taking time to notice the smaller details of the Penwith landscape. As a result, this new collection of paintings is an intimate study of nature on the artist’s doorstep - with a few jaunts further afield as Obi’s size and enthusiasm have increased.

“Walking the same paths so regularly, there is an even greater awareness of the passing of time and the small changes and details which occur on a daily basis as the seasons progress: one day the gorse by the gate up the lane is in bud – two days later and it is blazing in all its glory.

There was an assumption that I was very familiar with my immediate locality - I had walked the fields, footpaths and cliff paths many times over the years, and I thought there were no surprises left. How wrong I was! Walking at Obi’s pace, stopping, doubling back, pausing to chat to other dog owners, I have been forced to look more closely and more often. This new way of looking and noticing has resulted in a deeper understanding of and affection for my home turf, which I hope I have managed to convey in this collection of paintings”.

Neil Davies May 2022

2. Along the Green Lane to Trowan One of our favourite walks, a circular from Hellesveor to Trowan and back, ending in this old green lane. Amazing views through the clumps of gorse across patchwork fields to Little Trevalgan, pink and heathery in the sunlight.

3. Reservoir Cottage Towards Rosewall

4. Down from the Reservoir

As we head back from another walk round Bussow Reservoir we pass this cottage where our friends used to live, nestling between water and fields with a view up to Rosewall Hill. Today it is in and out of shadow, a brisk wind whisking the clouds across the April sun, the surrounding gorse glowing saffron yellow in the sunshine.

After walking a circuit round the reservoir, where Obi likes to look at the alpacas and has to be carried across the metal grid on the dam, we head down the track past Reservoir Cottage. At the right time of year there are sometimes tiny froglets heading off from the reservoir for new adventures. Thankfully not today.

5. The White House Where the Cat Lives

6. Scented Gorse on a Warm Spring Day

7. Coming Home

Along the lane on our walk today is a white

Up the lane from our house heading down to

Walking up the track to Pedn-an-Vounder and

cottage where Obi spots a cat sleeping on a

the coast path, we turn off and head through

home, after a long walk in the warm spring

wheelie bin. The house is part of the landscape,

the fields to Trowan. A warm, still day, the

sunshine. Looking forward to a cup of tea –

squatting solidly in the winter undergrowth

gorse in the hedges exuding a strong scent of

Obi hopes there might be cake…

with the bracken-covered hills behind. The

coconut. Standing still while Obi has a bis-

wind whisks the clouds into a dramatic frenzy,

cuit, listening to the skylarks and looking

but Obi has eyes only for the cat, and now

across the fields to the sea, I think how incred-

looks for it every time we go past.

ibly lucky we are to live here.

8. Up the Lane to Bussow A glorious September day, heading up to the reservoir, bracken and autumn colours glowing rust, ochre and bronze in the sunlight. When we arrive, a cormorant sits statue-like on a post sticking out of the water. Sometimes her mate is there, but today he must have gone fishing.

9. First Christmas Walk Our first Christmas with the dog finds us all walking off our lunch at Porthkidney Beach. Not brave enough to let the dog off the lead yet, as he is half Beagle and will probably leg it and join someone else’s walk, or catch a scent and follow it for miles. He has to be content with a long rope, running wildly in circles and shouting at the birds.

10. Wet and Windswept A dark, wild January day, and I really didn’t want to go out. Standing on the beach in the rain and wind while Obi digs holes in the sand, I am so glad we did. The sky is a melting pot of dark and light, black storm clouds trying to eclipse the whiter ones, making progress one minute, then thwarted by a few shafts of light breaking through. This turmoil is reflected in the choppy sea, outcrops of land lurking darkly in the wings, staying out of it.

11. Dancing Light Show Sitting on the pebbles at Priest Cove, out for an evening stroll. As the day draws to a close, the sky puts on a special show just for us, colours ever-changing as the light dances around, The Brisons glowering sulkily in the distance.

12. Winter Break Late November walk with friends around Cape Cornwall and down to Priest Cove, where the small fishing boats lie hauled up on the slipway, left high and dry for their winter break. Unseasonably warm and sunny - we watch unenviously as three people venture in for a swim, but we are content with a picnic on the slipway and a bit of a paddle. Obi is delighted to join in with both.

13. The Beach to Ourselves A little further from home today, walking on the beach at Gunwalloe on a cold day in late winter. Obi has a new game, barking at the waves as they froth up the sand, then chasing them back down again, pleased with himself because he scared them off.

While he is occupied, I watch the rapidly changing sky, clouds scudding quickly in the wind, and signs of big rainclouds moving in. Time to head back to the car…..

14. A Study in Light

15. Light Descending

Wild and stormy on the beach, waves crashing back on themselves, surf froth-

One of the most spectacular sunrises I have ever seen, the sky already a deep

ing. Inky, turbulent sky, squally showers coming and going, rocks slippery

velvety blue behind the first fiery rays plummeting into the sea, heralding

with spray. Light bounces around in the sky, on the sea and the wet sand,

another hot summer’s day.

sparkling with life. Obi decides he’s not going in for a dip today….

16. View from the Edge

17. Light Stream

Walking an inland path near Gurnard’s Head as evening approaches, I am

When we set off for the beach this morning, the sky was dark

struck by this cottage on the cliffs with an enviable view across the Atlantic,

and glowering, threatening rain.

Land’s End in the distance. As the sun dips towards the horizon, the sky fills

this far end of West Penwith, the weather changes its mind

with colour, the cottage in shadow against its magnificent backdrop.

abruptly, light streaming through and turning the sky a myriad

As so often happens at

of colours like the most dramatic of firework displays.

18. Incandescence Approaching sunset at Sennen Cove: I am struck by the sheer intensity of the light, the horizon glowing and shimmering with saturated colour. The sky takes centre stage, showing off flamboyantly while the sea remains quietly tranquil, and the dark headlands fade into the background.

19. Departing Storm After a morning of tempestuous weather, the storm finally decides to move on, drifting out to sea and allowing knife-edge shafts of watery light to cut through the clouds. The sky looks bruised for a while, gradually turning brighter as more light breaks through and bounces back off the gently grumbling waves.

LIST OF WORKS See online for complete collection.

Dimensions refer to image size. All works are framed.

1. ‘A Rest and a Drink’, 24” x 30”, oil on board - £2100 2. ‘Along the Green Lane to Trowan’, 24” x 30”, oil on board - £2100 3. ‘Reservoir Cottage Towards Rosewall’, 18” x 24”, oil on board - £1575 4. ‘Down from the Reservoir’, 18” x 24”, oil on board - £1575 5. ‘The White House Where the Cat Lives’, 10” x 12”, oil on board - £800 6. ‘Scented Gorse on a Warm Spring Day ’, 18” x 24”, oil on board - £1575 7. ‘Coming Home’, 10” x 12”, oil on board - £800 8. ‘Up the Lane to Bussow ’, 24” x 30”, oil on board - £2100 9. ‘First Christmas Walk’, 18” x 24”, oil on board - £1575 10. ‘Wet and Windswept’, 48” x 48”, oil on board - £5200 11. ‘Dancing Light Show ’, 48” x 65”, oil on board - £6500 12. ‘Winter Break’, 31” x 40”, oil on board - £3450 13. ‘The Beach to Ourselves’, 18” x 24”, oil on board - £1575 14. ‘A Study in Light’, 17” x 18”, oil on board - £1200 15. ‘Light Descending’, 16” x 17”, oil on board - £1100 16. ‘View from the Edge’, 12” x 17”, oil on board - £975 17. ‘Light Stream’, 24” x 30”, oil on board - £2100 18. ‘Incandescence’, 24” x 30”, oil on board - £2100 19. ‘Departing Storm’, 24” x 30”, oil on board - £2100 20. ‘Spring has Sprung’, 18” x 24”, oil on board - £1575

20. Spring has Sprung (reverse cover) A hot spring day and the gorse in full bloom, lighting up the fields with its glowing yellow flowers, white hawthorn blossom frothing over the hedges and banks like a bridal bouquet. Stopping for a rest and a drink, we hear the occasional pop as a gorse bud bursts open in the heat.

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