A look inside the studio of Sandra Blow RA
A look inside the studio of Sandra Blow RA
By Jonathan Grimble and Denny Long
Published 12 September 2014
As abstract art pioneer Sandra Blow RA is celebrated by two Cornwall shows, Jonathan Grimble and Denny Long from her Estate give us a tour of her atmospheric studio space in St Ives.
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Sandra Blow RA (1925–2006) first came to Cornwall in the 1950s with Roger Hilton to visit their fellow painter Patrick Heron, who lived at Tregerthen, near Zennor, on the north West Penwith coast overlooking the Atlantic. Sandra rented a cottage below Patrick’s home and adjacent to the cottage D.H. Lawrence briefly lived in some time before. Sandra stayed and worked there for a year before returning to London.
In 1994 she returned to Cornwall, renting one of the famous Porthmeor studios in St Ives, before founding Bullans Court, an industrial building forming a studio and living accommodation – the space was ideal for her large canvases. The Academician worked and lived at Bullans Court until her death in 2006, exhibiting each year in the RA Summer Exhibition. Tours of Bullans Court take place throughout the year; below you can see some of the highlights of the tour.
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The tour begins in the annexe where a series of screenprints are displayed
The annex leads Sandra's small design studio where in sketchbooks she planned her large works
Her large-scale works were then executed in the next space, the big studio On display are a selection of her 10 by 8 foot canvases, collage materials, hessian and papers, and a variety of acrylics
There are some very early works from her pre-abstract period when she painted from life, as well as some delightful photographs of Sandra
The studio also presents a selection of her designer clothes that reflect her abstract paintings, plus the studio door from her Porthmeor studio, which was removed in its renovation
Some of Sandra’s handmade hats are also on view
The tour continues through the kitchen, which has painted fabric over the washing machine and wall tiles that are linked to Sandra's abstracts
The tour ends in the print room where Sandra's screenprints hang
A Murano glass piece is displayed in the print room, and the film she had made in 2006 is screened
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Sandra Blow RA graduated from the RA Schools in 1947 and was made a Royal Academician in 1979.
Sandra Blow RA is at The Exchange, Penzance, until 4 October 2014.
Collage works by Blow are on view in the lower gallery of Newlyn Art Gallery until 27 September 2014.
Tours of Blow’s studio are usually on Thursdays at 11am (£5 incl. refreshments); all works are for sale, as well as DVDs, books and cards; to book, email sandrablowestate@gmail.com or call 01736 797371/756006/798704.
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