Art Appreciation – March/April 2026
Two Living British Artists
It was quite fitting that we had a record attendance of 17 for our March meeting to hear David Gearing give his final presentation to the group. Over the past decade, David has given at least ten presentations to the group. His contribution has been outstanding and he will be greatly missed as he has now moved to Exeter.
Most of his previous presentations have been on ‘great masters’ but on this occasion David decided to focus on two living British artists, Kurt Jackson and Helen Tabor. Although she is regarded very much as a Scottish artist Helen Tabor was born in England. On her website she says her work explores colour, movement and atmosphere across landscapes, still life and figurative subjects. She works primarily in oil on canvas or board. Beginning with a textured collage base, she builds her paintings through bold brushwork that is gradually refined, allowing the layers beneath to influence the final image. She is inspired by the landscapes of southern Scotland, music, family life, and artists such as William McTaggart, Joan Eardley and Picasso.
Kurt Jackson is based in the South West of England and much of his work is focused on Cornwall although he does work in other parts of the UK as well as abroad. His Kurt Jackson Foundation gallery is in St Just. He is committed to a wide range of environmental causes, and he donates a large proportion of his income from the sales of his art to organisations such as Greenpeace, Surfers Against Sewage, Friends of the Earth, Wateraid, Oxfam and the Cornwall Wildlife Trust. He has been artist in residence at Glastonbury as well as on the Greenpeace ship Esperanza. Much of his work reflects his environmental concerns and causes.
His landscapes often include a written commentary on the scene and what he is experiencing in the places he is painting. While many of the locations are very beautiful, he is also interested in what might be regarded as everyday, unremarkable scenes. He studied zoology at Oxford but spent much of his time at the Ruskin School of Art. His knowledge of the natural world is a strong feature of his work which has been described by some critics as ‘transporting’ and ‘uplifting’.
Members very much enjoyed being introduced to these artists and will certainly be looking out for their work in future. A trip to St Just may well be on the list of places to visit on future trips to Cornwall. Because both artists are practising today, there are obvious restrictions on showing examples for this newsletter which is viewed online. However, members may like to visit these websites to see some of their work. Helen Tabor Paintings and The Official Website of British Contemporary Artist Kurt Jackson. I think you will be interested to see their work and to learn more about them.
Quite rightly, as David finished his presentation, there was a spontaneous round of applause to recognise all that he has done for this group, and for the Dawlish & District u3a.
Lynne Vick, Convenor