What Makes Nicholas St John Rosse’s Marine Art Stand Out in Cornwall

Cornwalls jagged cliffs, variable tides, and that calm grey light have been, I guess, influential on British marine painting for generations. When browsing for buy marine paintings in Cornwall, you’re not only looking for decoration, you’re looking for a piece of the ocean, sort of, brought to life in oil paint and shown in your home. That’s why collectors want to buy original seascape art in the first place: the authenticity of the brush strokes, the sense of the water, and the feeling that the artist was standing on that beach, actually experiencing the same water you’re looking at now on canvas.

What is it that makes marine painting different from other paintings?

Marine art is a challenging genre. In a way, a marine painting is a lot different from a still life or portrait done in a studio — there's always something moving: waves, light, wind, and reflection all change by the minute. The painter in this tradition must have technical mastery over oil paint and a true knowledge of the sea, tides, and coastal living. Hence the existence of a society for marine art, the Royal Society of Marine Artists (RSMA), and the reason that marine art is a sought-after art area and not to be confused with coastal prints and paintings.

Nicholas St John Rosse – Cornwall-based marine artist.

Nicholas St John Rosse is a British oil painter and president of the RSMA at present, from Bodmin, Cornwall. He was born in Hampstead, London in 1945, and then he studied in Italy including at the Florence Academy, and it kind of led to a path of exhibitions in the UK and beyond, internationally. Quite a lot of his work tends to center on the figure in a beach or coastal sort of scene, whether it's about swimming, children on the sand, figures caught in the surf, or even people in the light. His paintings stay traditional and realistic in their manner, not abstract, and not in that other direction.

What sets his paintings apart from decorative seascapes is this basis in classical practice. Every piece examines the interaction of individuals and their surroundings: water, sand and rock, depicted with the same gravity as a portrait.

This is where His Work is displayed and offered for sale.

Nicholas St John Rosse's work is found in a number of galleries throughout the UK – including the Albany Gallery in Cardiff, Portsoy Gallery in Aberdeen, Jack Fine Art in York, the Mall Galleries in London, D'Art Gallery in Dartmouth, Artifex Gallery in Sutton Coldfield, Wave7 Gallery in Wadebridge, Hatch Gallery in Christchurch and the Marylebone Gallery in Bodmin, Cornwall. Pieces can be seen in person at any of these locations, or select items can be bought in the online shop on his website.

Commissions and Direct Purchases

Nicholas St John Rosse is also available for commissions to collectors who wish something personal. Enquiries are made by e-mail or telephone, with commissions discussed with the artist, which is unusual in an art market dominated more and more by galleries and intermediaries. This direct path from artist to the buyer is one of many contributing factors to the consistently high responsiveness rating that his client reviews give him for his communication and simple and secure ordering process.

Why Buy Original Marine Art Instead of Prints?

Oil paint has texture, brush direction, and a depth that can only be reproduced in a print. Original marine paintings also have a different value, as each painting is original and not one of a thousand identical paintings. A print is no match for an original piece when furnishing a coastal home, office or gallery wall.

Conclusion 

Cornwall is one of the most prolific areas in Britain for marine art, and no one paints the light and human stories as well as Nicholas St John Rosse. Anyone with a serious interest in authentic, gallery-quality marine paintings will have a great place to start when searching for Nicholas St John Rosse paintings for sale, whether you're beginning a collection or searching for a statement piece to enhance your home.