Martin Dutton - A Celebration of Torquay

An Exploration of Home

Lockdown was a difficult and sometimes disastrous period for everyone. But for me it did have an unexpected positive outcome. As a practicing painter my annual routine included a period of painting in Europe. The exotic lavender fields of Provence, the acres of golden sunflowers and vine field patterns of the Dordogne bathed in sunlight were rewarding places to paint in situ. However, these activities were brought to a standstill when lockdown anchored us all to our own homes and local environments. But for me, this was not a negative situation as it encouraged me to look for painting subject matter in my local area and I “discovered“ the town that had been my backyard for over twenty years - Torquay!  

We’ve had glorious Summer weather during the lockdown years which has provided the in situ artist with the equivalent periods of dry, warm painting time as can be relied upon in places like Southern France and Spain. I suppose it was because of the unreliability of the English weather coupled with my enthusiasm for painting outdoors in sun drenched unexplored landscapes that I hadn’t considered developing a prolonged painting project in my local area. But when I started to do small in situ paintings in Torquay I realised that here was a place full of visual delight and positive human activity that offered endless painterly opportunities.  

When I begin a new painting theme the first paintings are always directly topographical and realistic, setting down what I see in front of me in order to get to know my subject.

This representational approach will then develop into a more intuitively expressive response as the subject begins to reveal itself to me. This exhibition represents my journey so far in my exploration of a fascinating seaside town.