I recently completed my first Artist in Residence at the wonderful 5-star Headland Hotel, above Fistral Beach Newquay.
The Headland have published a Q & A on my residency – Spotlight on Shelley Thornton – Artist in Residence – which I urge you to read and hope you enjoy.
I won’t repeat that interview here. Instead I add a bit of context and more photos of my inspiration, my studio, how I spent my time during my residency, and the artworks that have emerged from this wonderful immersive experience.
MY INSPIRATION
The Headland Hotel & Spa is an inspiration in itself!
Architecturally it is bold, unapologetic and original and makes for a striking landmark with its trademark Welsh terracotta and pebbledash. The hotel was bought by John and Carolyn Armstrong in 1979. Despite facing serious structural, decorative and business issues, the couple, who still own the hotel today, stopped at nothing to reinvent it as a modern, luxury hotel. Four decades and more than £45 million of improvements and repairs have turned The Headland from a wreck to a multi-award-winning destination hotel, complete with 88 five-star bedrooms, a state-of-the-art gym, an award-winning spa, a six-pool Aqua Club, three restaurants and the best sea views in Cornwall. Next to the Victorian icon is the Aqua Club’s bold modern building of glass, stone and water. Next to that, a little village of individually coloured cottages. All three areas are themselves, but sit comfortably together as a whole.
The Hotel’s ethos, values and customer service are second to none. Never snobby despite its luxury and never too formal or exclusive in its approach. It is one of Cornwall’s few 5 star hotels and has won many awards – and you can readily see why!
The Hotel’s location is second to none too
The hotel is situated in a wild dramatic location above Newquay’s famous Fistral Beach. It stands strong against the elements. It’s surrounded by wild seas, stretching beaches, wind-worn cliffs, and glorious sunsets. Fistral Beach is cemented as the home of British surfing with the consistency and quality of the surf that it enjoys. It ranges from beautifully calm days to the adrenaline filled days where Cornwall’s big wave the Cribbar is being surfed by the hardiest of surfers.
On the other side of the Headland is Newquay’s historic harbour. This is where Newquay got its name from. Formerly known as Towan Blystra – the town got a new harbour, or ‘quay’, and the name came with it! The harbour has a long history from supporting the Cornish tin mining industry to the heyday of the commercial pilchard fishing era. Small scale commercial fishing still exists.
MY STUDIO
My studio was specially created for me in Room 309 – with commanding views over Fistral Beach and the wild Atlantic Ocean. My bedroom was next door in Room 310 – with very similar views.
I worked in my studio to translate my experiences of the ebb and flow of the tide, the wild surf, and the dramatic sunsets, into sketches and preliminary works and then into paintings.
Some afternoons, I had an ‘open studio’ – providing hotel staff and guests with an exclusive and intimate opportunity to not only meet me in person, but also to watch me go about my practice and observe the live translation of my immersive experiences into artworks – some of which would be hung in that very room after the renovation of it and its neighbour into a grand suite.
MY TIME
As well as painting, I spent my time eating and drinking in the Headland’s glorious restaurants and bars – and even poolside in the wonderful Aqua Club.
I swam in the Hotel’s pools and in the turquoise waters of the At Ocean. I watched sunsets on Fistral Beach, from my studio, and in the Aqua Club. I took walks around the Headland and into Newquay.
All in all, it was heaven!
MY PRELIMINARY CREATIONS
I created preliminary sketches, paintings and mood boards – ‘en plein air’ (outdoors) and in my studio.
Some images of these creations are shown below.
MY COMPLETED WORKS
The finished works installed in the new Ocean Suites are shown below. You can read about the concepts behind them, and the materials used, elsewhere on my website at : Artist in Residence at the Headland Hotel – Artlantic.
Additionally, on that page you can view a few other artworks created during the residency.
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- Headland 1
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- Headland 2
To conclude, I can thoroughly recommend The Headland for a visit to eat, sleep or enjoy the spa and pools. It’s a thoroughly fantastic hotel in a magical setting.
Keep an eye out for details of other emerging artworks and next steps with my residency. We’re planning an exciting exhibition in spring 2025 and have other plans afoot.
