Storm in a paint pot tests artist

‘THE show must go on’ became the motto for a Sussex-based professional artist whose visit to paint pieces for an exhibition coincided with Storm Arwen.

The painting of the Pea Stacks done by professional artist Tony Parsons whose visit to the island was dogged by rough weather which disrupted his travel plans and saw him seek shelter from the storm – literally – as he worked.

Creativity takes courage, so a diverted ferry, blown-over easels, frozen fingers and an inability to stand up all became challenges to overcome.

Tony Parsons said his trip went awry early on when the ferry could not get into St Peter Port.

‘We got transferred to the slow ferry because of the weather conditions and then the captain said “Guernsey’s looking a bit iffy". By the time we got to Guernsey we were in the full throat of Storm Arwen, it was 60 knots across the harbour entrance, and the skipper said we had to go to St Helier, and we managed to get in there with the aid of a tugboat.’

Tony Parsons at a wet and windswept Saints Bay.

Mr Parsons was stuck in Jersey for several days, but eventually managed to get to Guernsey, where he did a painting of the view across to the Pea Stacks and another at Bordeaux Harbour.

An earlier appeal through the Guernsey Press for islanders to nominate the best viewpoints to him got a big reaction, but standing in the exposed spots proved difficult.

‘The only place we could set up looking across to the Pea Stacks was with a cliff behind me, and then we sheltered under the granite wall at Bordeaux Harbour, but literally we had to shelter under rocks because it thrashed it down with rain and the easels were blowing over. There’s a limit to how artistic you can be in those circumstances, really.

‘We also skipped around and we took a lot of photographs, but I’ve not quite got enough for a show so I’m going to have to come back.

‘I’ve got a lot of moody, high winds, but I really need more than two days in a storm to put it all together.

‘I need to meet more Guernsey people. When you’re putting big pieces of art together, it helps if you’ve got contacts on the island.

Tony Parsons painting with some difficulty at Bordeaux.

‘I’ve got lots of places to go and people to talk to about those spots, but most of the viewpoints that were recommended to me, it wasn’t possible to stand up in.’

Despite the storm, Mr Parsons made the most of his trip and said he had lots of ideas of what he wanted to cover on his return.

‘I’d like to do a lot of the north coast, the towers and the dolmen on the golf course, and fascinating Lihou Island definitely needs some examination, and the cliffs around the south as well.

The painting of Bordeaux produced by Tony Parsons.

‘I’ve got some good panoramics of St Peter Port, for example Castle Cornet, so I’ll be working on those.’

The exhibition will be held in Guernsey next year. Details have not been confirmed yet.