Western Morning News (Saturday)
A moment glimpsed... a rare beauty
FRANK RUHRMUND reviews Primavera, at the Tremenhere Gallery, Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens, Gulval
Throughout the past month, curator and director Alicia Livingstone has been filming and showing a series of live videos every morning at 11am on social media channels, that have related to the exhibition Primavera she is presenting at the Tremenheere Gallery. She says: “When invited by Neil Armstrong, founder of the Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens, to use the gallery and to film our spring show, it soon became clear that the exhibition had so many links with the gardens, with its themes resonating so closely with the concept of Tremenheere itself, that we wanted to blend the two. Alongside interviews with the artists talking about their work, we toured the gardens with Neil sharing their spectacular and exotic sub-tropical plants and spring growth.”
An inspirational exhibition which inevitably, as we are told, owes something both to Botticelli’s Primavera and to Manet’s Les Dejeuner’s Sur L’herbe, it also contains Newlyn-based artist Richard Cook’s own Primavera, which comes with some of his thoughts on creativity. He says: “A moment glimpsed, something
beautiful while walking on Dartmoor. A pink hillside against the afternoon sunlight, why should this become the painting Primavera? How did that split second resonate so deeply within me accruing memory, feeling and loss, resonating into the life and
presence of this work? Black winter branches against the evening sky, bright green fields, the pageant of wilderness, the gleam of a river, all awaken in me an inner life and my quick drawings act as a portal that looks back into this secret world.” Words worth bearing in mind when viewing his work, from Primavera to August Ways, from Dozmary in July to Portrait of Linda. An artist who studied at St Martin’s School of Art and at the Royal College of Art in London, since coming to live and work in Cornwall several years ago, he has gained a considerable reputation and following for his deeply-felt landscapes, not only of West Cornwall but also of Dartmoor and the Brecon Beacons, areas that he has visited often. Talking about his habit of going back to the same places for inspiration and solace, he once said: “It’s not done in any ordered way, but rather follows a random and arbitrary dictate from within. So I find myself with sketchbook, pen or watercolours in hand stopping for a moment to respond to a place or an odd view, often sitting on the ground, thereby finding a sense of location. It’s as though I have a prior but hidden knowledge of what I want, what is needed, but in an unpremeditated way.” It is good to see that he includes portraits, studies of Linda, among his paintings for, as I remember him saying how he finds “working from the human figure, models, and from those close to me (a reference to his late and still much missed wife and fellow artist Partou Zia) remains an anvil that tests the soundness and truth of everything else that I paint.” If Partou could be here now, I’m sure she would be the first to vouch for the soundness and truth of all that he is showing here, while also applauding the three artists whose works are accompanying Richard Cook’s Primavera. From Henrietta Dubrey’s Primavera 2020 and Genesis 2021, to her Cloud Nymph 2014 and Cosy 2021; Emily Powell’s Feeling Hopeful and All the energy of Spring, to her Fond of the Jungle and Rare panther of Cornwall; and Spencer Shakespeare’s Designed for Escape and Bucca’s Embrace, to his Sociable Lapwing and Woodcock Jay & Buzzard, they ensure that this exhibition lives up to its claim of being “a joyous one in which nymphs and goddesses bath in the forest alongside jungle tigers and exotic flora and fauna that burst forth in a frenzy of new life.”
Well worth a visit, Primavera runs at the Tremenhere Gallery, Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens, Gulval, until May 4. Can be viewed at www.livingstonestives.co.uk Enquiries: hello@livingstonestives. co.uk or call 07702 279 011.
WHEN you’re depositing your kitchen scraps – including old spuds, vegetable seeds and stones – in the bin, or on the compost heap, think again.
There are many things you can grow again from food waste, insist gardening duo and allotmenteers Paul Anderton and Robin Daly, known on Instagram as Two Dirty Boys.
“Regrowing scraps and cuttings can reward you with fresh homegrown food which can help reduce your grocery bill,” say the pair in their new book Regrown.
“When we first started the process of regrowing, we did so in such small quantities that the cuttings generated just about enough food for Barbie’s brunch. However, if you get into the habit of continually saving potential plants before they get to your compost bin, you’ll find you are rewarded with a decent-sized harvest when the time comes.”
Armed with a windowsill and reusable containers, you can make a start on these five easy to regrow edibles, following Paul and Robin’s guide...
SPRING ONIONS
They say: “This is a really easy and foolproof project. It’s great to do with the kids as the progress is fast. You’ll never throw away the base of your spring onions again.”
Top tips: Retain one inch of the root end of the vegetable for regrowing. Fill a jar with pebbles or marbles and position each cutting with the root end downwards amongst the stabilisers.
Fill the jar with water to cover the roots, but leave the top of the cuttings above the water. Place on a bright windowsill and refresh the water each day. Harvest when desired.
AVOCADO
They say: “Avocado pits get tossed into the dustbin every day – each one a perfect new seed of a future avocado tree. They make beautiful houseplants.”
Top tips: Rinse an avocado stone and gently peel away the outer skin revealing a nut-like surface. Identify the pointy end of the stone and ensure this now remains facing upwards during the next steps.
Pierce the stones with three toothpicks, evenly spaced. These will allow you to position the stone in water without full submersion.
Fill a glass or jar with water and position the stone and toothpicks so the stone is hovering at the water line (with the bottom of the stone under water). It can take several weeks for the stone to germinate and start growing, so be patient. Once roots have descended and the stone has started to grow a stem and leaves, you could choose to transplant the plant to a plant pot filled with potting mix. Keep your new avocado houseplant in a bright location and water when necessary.
POTATOES
They say: “We’ve all been guilty of neglecting a bag of potatoes in a dark kitchen drawer or cupboard. It’s easy to regrow these into a whole new batch of tasty spuds.”
Top tips: An out-of-date potato can be used to grow a new crop of potatoes. Use a sharp knife to cut the potato into sections, but make sure each section has its own ‘eye’ as this will be the foundation of a new plant.
Let the potato pieces dry in the open air to avoid bacterial infections. After some time, each eye should begin to sprout. The process is called chitting. You can now plant each potato piece in the earth with the eye facing upwards (four inches deep) or in a plant pot or growbag (with a 50/50 mix of compost and garden soil). Water regularly, if in pots, and once the plant above ground has flowered and begun to wilt (between 70 and 120 days later), your underground potatoes are ready to be harvested.
TOMATO SEEDS
They say: “It’s the time of year most gardeners start thinking about their tomato seedlings. Why not grow this year’s plants from a kitchen scrap? Heirloom tomatoes are the best choice.”
Top tips: Scoop out the inner part of an overripe tomato and seeds and mix these with some water in a jam jar. Seal it and let it start to ferment for one week. This process will separate the seeds from the flesh and help fight diseases.
Strain the seeds, rinse them and lay them out on paper towels to dry for at least another week. After this time the seeds should be ready for planting. Use the tomato seeds as you would any store bought tomato seeds. Then start the process off using potting mix in seed trays.
BEETROOT GREENS
They say: “It takes a lot of beetroot cuttings to grow yourself a bag of beetroot greens – but the process is fun and there’s nothing more satisfying than serving up a salad you grew on your windowsill.”
Top tips: The top inch or so of a beetroot root can be used to regrow fresh beetroot greens which are wonderful in salad or used in dishes as a spinach substitute.
Start by removing the existing wilted leaves (or use them to cook with if they’re fresh enough).
Place multiple beetroot tops in a flat-bottomed waterproof tray and fill the tray with enough water so that each root slice has access to water but isn’t submerged.
Within a day or two new leaves should start to emerge. Changing the water each day will ensure the plants don’t rot. You’ll be rewarded with a mini field of fresh beetroot plants.
Harvest the leaves as and when you wish. Harvesting leaves when they are still very small makes a novel topping for canapés.