Nina Brooke’s Cornwall
BASED IN HER STUDIO ON THE NORTH CORNISH COAST, TRAVELLING SEASCAPE ARTIST NINA BROOKE TAKES INSPIRATION FOR HER STUNNING AERIAL SEASCAPES AND JEWEL-LIKE COASTAL SCENES FROM HER NATIVE CORNWALL AND OTHER TROPICAL DESTINATIONS AROUND THE GLOBE.
TWO OF NINA’S WORKS ADORN THE WALLS OF THE PINK HOUSE – “TWO SURFERS” AND “BEACHLIFE” – AND WE SPOKE TO NINA ABOUT HER CONNECTION WITH BUDE, WHAT INSPIRES HER WORK AND ASKED HER TO DIVULGE SOME OF CORNWALL’S BEST-KEPT SECRETS…
Tell us about your connection to Bude...
I am originally from Rock where my studio is, on the North coast of Cornwall - but like yourselves, I just bought a property in Bude in February this year. Its a little unusual because its an old 1800s coach house with a charming old slate roof and brickwork, right in the town centre. The property needs some TLC and my partner and I are looking to make it into a gallery and studio space there for likeminded creatives in the area. He is from Widemouth Bay next to Bude and so we will be doing this project together. Coincidentally, the name of the street The Pink House sits on is named after Joss and his brother Reubyn.
We have two of your incredible prints at The Pink House, can you tell us what inspired them?
“Beachlife” was one of my very first aerial paintings made in 2016. My style was more abstract and loose. The painting depicted the atmosphere of my local beach scene in Cornwall from a bird’s eye view. I have a love for flying and seeing the world from this perspective as it humbles my mind to see how much humans enjoy spending time in natural landscapes. Being from Cornwall, I see thousands of people coming to enjoy our coastline every summer, in the winter its completely the opposite, quiet and still. The contrast between the seasons brings so much awareness to the amount of people and energy and movement within the space, and that’s what I am captivated by and wish to depict. From above, you can see the world in a new way, the depth, lines and colours of the coastline are so varied around the Cornish coast, everyday there is a different scene to depict.
When you’re not in the studio, what are your favourite places to go in Cornwall?
When I am not in the studio, I like hang out with friends on the cliff tops of Polzeath, watching the sunset behind the surfers. Every other weekend I make an effort to go somewhere outside my bubble and drive south to Lands End, or north to Bude. As long as you stick to the coastline you cant go wrong. Just pack a blanket, swimmers, a picnic and a flask of tea and drive.
What other people and brands are doing interesting things in Cornwall and who should we be following on Instagram?
North Coast Asylum in Newquay is a gallery that just opened up this year. They have some fantastic artists under their roof. Jo and Ben (the owners) moved from London and bought an old church in the town and have been renovating it for the past two years. Its finally open and it is so beautiful! The Rocket Store in Bostcastle is new restaurant that has its own fishing boat, every day the menu works around what was caught that morning. The food is the best I have tasted in Cornwall. Its small so you always have to book ahead. Tao is an ethical handmade clothing company made in Cornwall out of natural materials. Very beautiful simple designs that can be worn everyday anywhere.
How can people connect with you?
Check out my Instagram account to get a feel of my work and lifestyle around it @ninabrookeart. Head to my website ninabrooke.co.uk or contact the studio at hello@ninabrooke.co.uk