Mullet from the river. August 2013 mixed media on board 33x40cm

Kurt Jackson has known the River Camel most of his life; a childhood in Delabole was spent visiting Polzeath, Rock, Daymer Bay; learning to swim, fish and sail on the river; then in his 20’s and 30’s he lived in Boscastle, North Cornwall – the formative years of his artistic career. Establishing his path here on the upper reaches of the Camel – Roughtor, Davidstow, Camelford, where the river drains off the flanks of Bodmin Moor to flow down towards Bodmin and Wadebridge and eventually Padstow and Rock. Later having moved further west to St Just in Penwith, Jackson has often made frequent return visits to the Camel to re work familiar stretches of the river for his many exhibitions nationally and internationally.

For this exhibition, A Bite of The Camel Jackson has chosen to follow the river a little more methodically – tracing her course with his brushes from her source on those moors and water meadows, down through the woods, farmland and valleys to the river’s mouth between Stepper Point and Pentire Point.

An artistic journey of 30 miles immersed in the Camel’s delights; capturing and celebrating the offerings of this very Cornish watercourse.

It seemed logical to marry this essence of the Camel in Jackson’s art with someone equally passionate about the (culinary side of the) Camel – collaborating with Rick Stein. Now the ‘terroir’ of the River Camel is to be celebrated with food, drink and art – all produced on this Cornish river in this occasion in Padstow.

The exhibition is at St Petrocs Hotel, Padstow, Cornwall until the end of August. A catalogue of the exhibition and a limited edition print is available from the venue or here at Kurt’s website.

Kurt Jackson will be discussing his work with Emma Warren on the Caught by the River stage at this years Port Eliot festival.