The Isles of Scilly diary; part one
Feeling lifted on gentle St Mary's
6:30am, Tuesday 6th May, Totnes Station
The day has come. A painting expedition that has been months in the making is finally here.
I couldn’t tell you how long I’ve dreamed of visiting the Isles of Scilly. I’ve spent a lot of time on the coast of Devon and Cornwall, taking in the shapes and colours of our magnificent coastline, but Scilly looks like something else.
When Zoe from Isles of Scilly Travel got in touch to talk about helping us out with a painting expedition, I couldn’t believe my luck. There’s very little Zoe doesn’t know about visiting the Isles of Scilly, and nothing she couldn’t find out. Trust me, when it comes to planning a painting expedition, there’s a lot more to it than you might think.
Katherine has been busy sorting logistics, making sure we could get my massive canvases freighted over to the islands in advance of our travel, a huge tub of paint, pastels and brushes, and of course, one of my trusty wooden easels.
I’m writing from the train to Penzance, a steady but incredibly scenic service that has been blighted only by the lack of buffet cart. Let me tell you, 9.30am is incredibly late in the day to have your first cup of tea.
Katherine and I are meeting Zoe in Penzance, who’s giving us a short lift to Land’s End Airport where we’ll catch the 20-minute Skybus flight to the main island, St Mary’s. I’m beyond excited (little sleep was had last night), but a little nervous. We’ve got an amazing team lined up to help with St Ives set designer and artist Kimmy Hussey joining as assistant two for a couple of days and my trusty photographer friend Tiree Dawson joining for the latter few days. That adds a little pressure.
Zoe has sorted our travel and accommodation for us, lining up a holiday cottage for us with a promise of unbeatable views and plenty of space for even some of my bigger canvases. We’re promised a whistle-stop tour of St Mary’s island when we arrive, and I just can’t wait to lay my eyes on it for the first time and work out what I want to paint first.
9pm, Little Porth, St Mary’s, Scilly
Phew, what a first day, what a whirlwind! I’m sat down with a cup of tea after watching the most sublime sunset from our cottage over the back, the main town of Hugh Town just across the harbour from the large bay window where I sit. This place has already surpassed all my expectation, and it’s only been a matter of hours since we landed.
Today was all about soaking up the shapes, lines and colours of the island we’re staying on, St Mary’s. I always need a moment to orient myself and adjust to the environment. I’ve always done this with a brush, painting myself into a place. Familiarise myself with the new rhythm of it all and take a breath.
After our tour with wonderful cabbie Duane, we picked up our transport for the week - a golf cart from Scilly Carts - and then headed to the nearby Juliet’s Garden for lunch. Thankfully I had a few small canvases and a delightful fresh pack of Sennelier oil pastels with me so I could block down the shapes of the uninhabited island, Samson opposite, the vibrant orange flowers and the bay while we waited for our delicious lunch.
Deciding what to paint first is always a tricky one. I placed one of my largest canvases on the easel just outside our cottage and set about capturing the view while Katherine and Kimmy - absolutely besotted with driving our new wheels - set off on a grocery quest. We’d already been tea deficient in the morning, now it was time for full steam ahead and that required milk and teabags.
As the first layer of the large canvas dried, I picked a 1x1m canvas to turn to florals, the bold and bright agapanthus flower heads in the garden capturing my attention. We’d been promised these all over the island, and they were just as flamboyant as I’d hoped. Kimmy and Katherine stole away for a quick dip as I painted, but I was locked in. Nothing could tempt me away now.
So much to explore, so little time. We packed up the cart with two more canvases, easel and paint basket and headed towards Hugh Town, ending up on the opposite beach at Porthcressa. I wanted to capture some more before dinner, striding down onto the grainy sand and plonking my easel just a stone’s throw from the shore.
I could hear the oystercatchers in the distance as I laid down the colour, but it was mallards that dabbled in the shallow, salty waves and came to inspect my painting kit, quite bizarre!
By now my stomach was rumbling, so we found a table at The Mermaid by the quay and feasted, reliving the day which had seemed impossibly long since that early train journey from home. We hopped back aboard the cart for the little rumble home, a fiery sky before us as we passed by Porthloo Beach and back to our island sanctuary.
Gifted travel from Isles of Scilly Travel, including the Skybus flight from Land’s End airport, accommodation and transport from Scilly Carts.
Browse and shop the works at www.emilypowellstudio.com/isles-of-scilly
All your painting, those colours and brushstrokes, convey lot of joy!!
painting with words too these days eh? Love your enthusiasm for life, the intensity and wonder, combined with a playful lightness!