More art! - Note: I’m writing this in an inn that goes back to 1312.
One of the best birthday present Ive ever received was a membership to the Tate Galleries. St Ives has a “branch” - so that membership card was instrumental in why I dumped myself here. I suppose it was the universe dumped me in a place that was home to one of the birthplaces of Modern Art in Britain. Who knew? As an artist I find myself tragically ignorant of the history of the movements that inspires me and somehow, accidentally I am a part of. In the Tate I discovered artists and pieces that seem like fireworks going off in my brain, fore-bearers of inspiration whether I knew it or not.
I also went to the Dame Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden. In the past I have dismissed her work because all I ever saw was a giant egg with a hole in it. What I found here though is so much more. A woman who in a world dominated by men in the 30s-70s held her own, forged her own way and excelled beyond her contemporaries. Sublime sculptures exploring nature and humanity’s connection to it.
In this town I’m finding past and current artists that inspire me but also confirm this path that I am on.
My father often remarked that he had witnessed probably the greatest advancement in human history from radio to TV to walking on the moon to the age of mobile phones and the internet. Today I got to FaceTime my sister from the top of a cliff 4,665 miles across an ocean from Houston - it still boggles the mind.
The last adventure of the day was a boat trip to Seal Island. It was high tide so the seals were mostly washed off their sunning spots therefore were off feeding. But it was a gorgeous trip along the coast. The giant moss covered cliffs with their magnificent crags, topped by lush green grass are truly awe inspiring.
Today’s Observations:
- Cornish Clotted Cream is always good
- but is better in Cornwall
- The English bring a mallet to the beach and erect a fence so they can sit in the sun in private
- People watching is fun
- People watching after they’ve had a few pints is hysterical
- Seeing the majority of walkers (and two surfers) in their sixties and seventies inspires me and gives me hope (and shames me just a little bit)
- As much as I want to love crab - I don’t
- Seagulls WILL try and steal your ice cream