Mark Woollacott Artist

mayne gallery kingsbridge

17th February 2024

Representation at Mayne Gallery

Exciting news! A new collection of my coastal paintings will be displayed by professional gallery and exhibition curators Mayne Gallery. Saturday 16th March is the launch date for my new collection. Mayne Gallery is located at Kingsbridge, South Devon.

The key theme of the collection is 'luminosity'. The paintings wonderfully depict the wide open spaces of Devon's famous beaches and capture the intensity of the sky and its natural light as it pours captivatingly onto the coastal environment. To discover more, please contact Mayne Gallery.

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art classes and tuition

1st February 2024

NEW Art Classes

A variety of art classes are available at my Ilfracombe studio. These new classes are ideal for the beginner or amateur artist who wish to improve and broaden their skills and painting technique. So if you are looking for something inspiring and creative to do in Ilfracombe and want to have a go at creating an artwork, I can take you on this introductory journey into the world of painting and help you to become a better painter.

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Boat and house at Port Grimaud St Tropez

3rd July 2023

Recent Painting Commission

Here is a picture of my latest commission, entitled: Half a Century. The painting depicts a realistic interpretation of a home and yacht in Port Grimaud, St Tropez, France.

This was a great commission to work on. I put in about 173 hours work at the easel in total. The water - which I'm really pleased with - took me two weeks to paint in order to achieve the detail and realism I was aiming for. The client was wonderful to work for and wrote a delightful testimonial for me.

Painting info: Oil on canvas. Dimensions: 36 inches x 24 inches.

new coastal art paintings

5th March 2023

New Collection of paintings

Inspired by the beautiful coastline of North Devon, these oil paintings will be available for sale from early April 2023 at Echo Beach Gallery, Ilfracombe: please email the gallery for further information.

Website

www.echobeachgallery.co.uk

Eco-friendly artist

15th November 2022

Re-using, Recycling and Reducing Plastic

Oil paintings have always used plant-based oils, such as linseed, walnut or poppy. As a professional artist, I am committed to using artist products (e.g. paint pigments, mediums, thinners, brush cleaners,) which are sourced through natural and ethical processes and use plant-based oils while still maintaining high quality results. Eco-friendly packaging materials: I now use packaging products that are recyclable and degradable when packaging my artworks for transportation to buyers, art exhibitions and art galleries.

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new wave paintings

30th October 2022

New Wave Paintings

Breaking Wave at Croyde and Surfer at Croyde are my latest paintings inspired by Croyde Beach. These paintings are available for sale at Echo Beach Gallery, Ilfracombe. Please contact the gallery for further information.

Website

www.echobeachgallery.co.uk

new marine art paintings

1st July 2022

New Oil painting

The Sweeping Sky is my latest oil painting inspired by Croyde Beach. Many hours of work went into layering and using 'softening' brush techniques to achieve the realism depicted. The painting is 36 x 18 inches in dimensions. Oil on panel. This painting will soon be available for sale at Echo Beach Gallery, Ilfracombe: please email the gallery for further information.

Website

www.echobeachgallery.co.uk

new marine art paintings

20th March 2022

New Collection of Oil paintings

Since October, I have been busy painting and producing a new selection of oil paintings, depicting North Devon coastal locations such as Saunton, Morte Point, and the Valley of the Rocks. These paintings will be available for sale from April 2022 at Echo Beach Gallery, Ilfracombe: please email the gallery for further information.

Website

www.echobeachgallery.co.uk

10th January 2022

Art Competition

The Rotary Club Barnstaple (supporting the North Devon Hospice) invited me to be one of the judges, along with fellow North Devon artist, Clare Willcocks, for an online art competition. The competition was open to all artists, with cash prizes going to the winners of three categories: Beginner, Experienced and Professional. The entry fees to the competition helped to raise money for the North Devon Hospice.

The standard of the artwork was really high and Clare and myself were very impressed by the overall response to the competition, which was widely publicized online. After careful consideration, we managed to select a winner from each category.

new coastal art paintings

1st January 2022

Eternal Shoreline

Happy New Year to all my wonderful collectors! Eternal Shoreline is a new oil painting inspired by my visits to Saunton Sands Beach, North Devon. The painting is a metaphor for inner reflection, and explores how people are sometimes drawn to broad open spaces in the natural environment in order to be uplifted or to find time for contemplation. Artistically, this is a subject I intend to explore some more in the coming months.

A print of this painting is available at the Fine Art America website. See my 'Prints for Sale' page for more details.

new coastal art paintings

5th October 2021

Paintings of the North Devon Coastline

After the success of my recent seascape collection at Echo Beach Gallery, Ilfracombe, I am now busy producing a new collection of seascape paintings depicting more stunning scenes inspired by the North Devon coastline. These new oil paintings are scheduled to be available for sale in the Spring 2022 at Echo Beach Gallery, Ilfracombe: please email the gallery for further information.

Website

www.echobeachgallery.co.uk

World War Two painting of Motor Torpedo Boats

28th June 2021

New Painting Commission

Here is a picture of my latest commission, entitled: The Attack Pressed Home. I really enjoyed painting this night action scene, which depicts a division of three British Motor Torpedo Boats (MTBs 349, 360 and 351) coming under heavy fire while targeting an enemy merchant vessel (at the head of an escorted convoy of vessels) off the Dutch coastline, near Ijmuiden. This division formed part of a flotilla of five MTBs in total, from Felixstowe, and comprised the first division.

In this commission, I was asked to paint a scene which not only incorporated the essence of the battle: to evoke feelings of tension, anticipation, fear and awe, and to capture the sense of drama of the battle, but also to paint the whole scene with a degree of realism. This painting shows the first moments of the hour-long battle, which occurred between half-past midnight and 01:30 a.m. on 1st October 1944. Three months of work went into this painting commission, including seventy hours of research.

Oil on bespoke linen canvas. Dimensions: 65 cm x 100 cm.

new marine art paintings

1st March 2021

NEW! Oil paintings of the North Devon Coast

Since December, I have been busy painting and producing a new selection of oil paintings, depicting North Devon coastal locations, which are scheduled to be available for sale late Spring/Summer 2021 at Echo Beach Gallery, Ilfracombe: please email the gallery for further information.

Website

www.echobeachgallery.co.uk

yacht painting

1st March 2021

Whitsuntide

Here is a picture of one of my recent painting commissions, entitled: Whitsuntide. I really enjoyed painting this commission, which depicts yacht Whitsuntide approaching the Needles, Isle of Wight, via Alum Bay. Acrylic on linen canvas. Dimensions: 70cm x 110cm. For more information regarding arranging a painting commission, please visit my Painting Commissions page on this website.

sold paintings

28th February 2021

Light and reflections

Tranquil Evening at Ilfracombe Harbour painting displayed in its lovely new home. I enjoy the challenge of capturing the quality of natural light and peacefulness in a scene and depicting it onto canvas. The reflections painted on this painting certainly give a wonderful impression of contented stillness and tranquillity in the harbour. Many kind thanks to its new owners for supplying the photograph. Paintings of Ilfracombe Harbour can be seen at Echo Beach Gallery, Ilfracombe.

Website

www.echobeachgallery.co.uk

sold paintings

23rd October 2020

Paintings SOLD

Several good sales last month at the fabulous Echo Beach Gallery, Ilfracombe. Delighted that a number of my coastal and harbour paintings sold recently to a lovely collector (who now owns seven of my originals). More of my harbour and coastal landscape paintings are available at Echo Beach Gallery, Ilfracombe: please email the gallery for further information.

Website

www.echobeachgallery.co.uk

yacht painting

23rd August 2019

New Painting Commission

Here is a picture of my latest commission, entitled: Lucky Cat, Sivota, Greece. I really enjoyed painting this particular commission, which was based on a superb reference photograph supplied by the client. Sivota is such a picturesque setting for sailors, and I can understand why people visit the place. In this commission, I was asked to paint a scene which not only incorporated the yacht, Lucky Cat, and the beauty of the harbour as dusk approached, but also to paint the whole scene with a degree of realism. Acrylic on canvas. Dimensions: 24 x 22 inches.

yacht painting

27th June 2019

Painting Commission

Here is a picture of my latest commission, entitled: Abigail. Acrylic on canvas. Dimensions: 16 x 24 inches.

art publicity

28th October 2017

Article in The Blue Peter

An article in the September 2017 edition of Der Blaue Peter (The Blue Peter) newsletter featured one of my recent commissioned paintings and was kindly written by German sailor, Volker Hanf, who owns the painting. Below is a copy of the article, with translation by Volker Hanf about his experiences of sailing SY Albatros:

“The way to your own boat picture. In August 74 we set sails for our sailing trip on board SY Albatros skippered by Henry v. Winterfeld. After a cold night in Fehmarn Belt we were rewarded by a beautiful rose sunrise. Being at the helm, a comrade of mine took a slide which I would have loved to have as a colour poster for my room. Sadly, at that time only black-and-white posters were available. And such a black-and-white poster decorated the wall of my youth (room) until I cleared it out a year ago. On the day when I took the poster off the wall, accidentally, I found the original slide. And there it was again … the wish to have a coloured image of the scene.

In 2014, we found Echo Beach Gallery during our first trip to England, in the little coastal town of Ilfracombe on the Bristol Channel, in North Devon, featuring marine artist Mark Woollacott, directly on the tidal harbour, off Ilfracombe and its yacht club. Then, convinced from his sailing paintings, I emailed Mark the scanned slide in May 2017 and commissioned a 52 x 42 cm acrylic painting. I wouldn't have dreamt how much fun the painting process would be for me and my wife since Mark kept us informed by sending up-to-date photos of the process. With a lot of devotion he worked on getting the right “haptics” of the sheets, that could not be deducted from the slide. Now, the framed painting On-board SY Albatros HYS 1974 is hanging on the wall near our breakfast table and tells the story of the sailing trip on board Albatros, of the old DHH sailing club and sailing the open sea!”

Many thanks to Volker and the Editor of DHH website for their permission to use images and text from the article. The full newsletter, with Volker’s article, can be viewed or downloaded from the Deutscher Hochseesportverband HANSA (The German High Sea Sports Association) DHH website at: https://www.dhh.de/blauer_peter.html

Print of RHS Rosemoor donated to hospice

19th January 2017

Canvas print donated to North Devon Hospice Charity

I have donated a large canvas print, reproduced from one of my paintings (featuring the Mediterranean Garden, at RHS Rosemoor), to The North Devon Hospice, as a way of saying thank you to the staff at the hospice for the care, kindness, compassion and professionalism they showed to my Dad whilst he was at the hospice, who sadly passed away recently after a long battle with cancer. The hospice is funded entirely by donations from the public and provides essential care, support and information to adults with cancer and other life-threatening conditions. My Dad's positive attitude, gentle humour, kindness and consideration to others was inspiring and he will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

North Devon Hospice website: www.northdevonhospice.org.uk

Eleonora, Ranger and Velsheda

27th July 2016

Eleonora painting

My painting Eleonora, Ranger and Velsheda recently sold for £2,200.00. Prints of this painting are available online from Fine Art America (see my Prints page for more information).

Prints

Hidey Holes book by Robin Whitcomb

17th June 2016

A New Book by Author Robin Whitcomb

Images of three of my North Devon paintings have been featured in a new book written by Robin Whitcomb, author of Wealding The Willow and Home Sweet Home. The book's title is Hidey Holes and is published by Troubador Publishing and is available online at Amazon and Waterstones and other retailers.

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J.P. Morgan Ben Ainslie Racing (BAR) AC45 Catamaran

17th March 2016

J.P. Morgan sells at AAF

My painting J.P. Morgan Ben Ainslie Racing (BAR) AC45 Catamaran recently sold for £1,790.00 at the spring AAF at Battersea Evolution, London. Prints of this painting are available.

Prints

J5 Ranger print

1st July 2015

Ranger Print

My latest painting J5: Ranger, J Class Yacht is now available as a print.

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photo of J Class yacht

27th June 2015

J Class Regatta, Falmouth

I have just recently returned from Falmouth, Cornwall, where I photographed the impressive J-Class sailing yachts, Velsheda, Lionheart and Ranger, as they raced at Falmouth Bay. I went with Solent Rib Charter on Thursday 25th June to watch the “Js” up close as they raced. Over the next twelve months, I shall be painting a number of originals based on the two races which took place on this day. More info to follow.

The Houses of Parliament print

8th June 2015

Print goes to the Palace of Westminster

A print of my painting The Houses of Parliament was kindly purchased by North Devon's Member for Parliament, Peter Heaton-Jones, to go in his new office at the Houses of Parliament, London. Prints of this painting are available online from Fine Art America (see my Prints page for more information). For information about the original painting, please click on the image above or the link below

Read about The Houses of Parliament painting

Snowdonia and Hiker

2nd February 2015

Helping to Raise Funds for the Prince's Trust

A View From the Watkin Path, Snowdonia (also known as Snowdonia and Hiker) was recently sold for £750.00 during a silent auction held at The Prince’s Trust and EMC Leadership Dinner, the London Hilton, Park Lane, on Thursday 29th January 2015. I was delighted that the sale of one of my paintings (an acrylic, size: 12 x 12 inches) helped to raise some funds for the Trust. This opportunity was possible due to the help and kindness of Nina Lording (manager of Echo Beach Gallery), artist Darren Baker and the Prince's Trust.

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art publicity

August, 2014

Marine Art Exhibition

Images of my marine paintings featured on the Classic Boat Magazine website and other publications during my solo marine art exhibition at Echo Beach Gallery, Ilfracombe, August 2014. The image above was supplied, with kind permission, by Classic Boat Magazine and WMN.