A Conversation with Maxine Hart: The Spirit of the Cornish Landscape
Maxine Hart is a Cornish artist and painter inspired by the natural beauty of the Cornish landscape, land and sea. Living near the coast, she often paints 'pleine air', (i.e. in the open air), capturing the changing light, colour, energy and textures of her surroundings. She also loves being in the sea and takes every opportunity to swim.
Maxine’s original paintings are sold across the UK and internationally and her artwork has also been featured by the fashion house Oscar de la Renta, with her paintings transformed into prints on luxurious fabrics. Her expressive, abstract paintings combine colour, texture and movement to capture the spirit of Cornwall.
In this Q&A, Maxine shares more about her inspiration, painting process, life by the coast and the story behind her artwork.
Your daily walks around Cornwall are central to your creative process. What do you notice that might find its way into your paintings?
My daily walks are a way of slowing down my thoughts, breathing and appreciating everything around me. I'm constantly seeing compositions as if looking through a viewfinder; I think I always have, ever since I was little. The colours of a field, the shadows, shapes or lines that direct your eye. All these elements are remembered and find their way into my abstract paintings.
You moved from the Wirral to Cornwall in 2008. What was it about Cornwall that first captured you?
We walked the Coast Path in 1999, two glorious weeks in September and this was the start of my love for Cornwall. The untouched, raw beauty of the Cornish landscape captured my heart straight away. Its natural hidden coves, wind-swept trees, the light, the magic and the history of lives lived all stay with you.
Your paintings are abstract yet have a strong sense of place. How do you capture the feeling of the Cornwall landscape without simply painting what you see?
I have an idea of a composition, either from small sketches or from a smaller viewpoint and then the mood of the landscape takes over. The quietness of the scene, or its loudness, guides the direction I take with my colour choices, texture, variety of marks and brushstrokes. Once I’ve started, I let the paint do the talking, guided by the power of nature.
You work with drawing, paint, layering, scratching and different mediums. How do you know when a painting has reached that point of balance, or when to stop?
I usually work with a few paintings all at once. They all inform the others, which helps with a painting not becoming too precious, as well as helping with experimenting with marks. Once I see the painting is balanced with energy, variety of line, colour combination and the composition is working for me, it is time to put the brushes down and sit with the paintings in my studio for a few days, weeks or even months.
A few marks or a colour addition may be needed to create that balance and then I am ready to let it go.
Plein air painting has become increasingly important to your practice. What does working outdoors give you that the studio can't?
I think I’ve mentioned it before, but being within the landscape gives me so much energy and excitement that anything is possible. I stop looking at the landscape as a flat picture and become immersed with my whole body. Actions take over. Feeling the weather and watching the light shift anchor me in that moment.
I create within that time frame with nature as my collaborator. It’s a very special experience that the studio can't create.
Cornwall's landscape and weather are constantly changing. Does that unpredictability influence the way you paint?
I love the unpredictability of the weather down here in Cornwall, forever changing. I do look at the forecast before setting out to paint for the day, but I love it when the clouds roll in and you have to work quickly to capture those fleeting moments.
My energy is accelerated, or it can turn into a moment of accepting when the clouds become rain and I have to cover the work and sit it out. Raindrops do mix with the paint, creating interesting marks. It's all part of the collaboration.
You spend so much time outdoors. What are your essentials for a day of walking, sketching and painting? Is swimming part of the routine?
Living so close to the coast, I’m lucky to be able to grab a swim when I can and it’s a reward after a day of plein air painting before carrying all my paints and boards back to the car.
If it’s a day of gathering information or experimenting with shapes and exploring further parts of Cornwall, I will always pack my small sketch pad, watercolour set and pencils. How can you resist a swim from a hidden cove?
Your work is emotionally charged, with colour, energy and movement at its heart. Do you begin with an emotion, or does it emerge as you paint?
I think emotion and my reaction to the landscape in front of me always hits me first. I’m overwhelmed in a good way when I finally sit my paints down, set my plein air studio up and I’m ready to go. I take it all in, smile and can’t wait to create.
That’s when the charged energy and movement takes over. It’s almost like a dance. Brushes flying around, frantic mixing of paint, moving around the canvas or boards from one to the other. I'm exhausted at the end, but in a good way and always love the moment the work is back in the studio taking on a different life.
Your work has been exhibited across the UK and internationally. More recently, your paintings were transformed into prints on luxurious fabrics for Oscar de la Renta’s ’24 collection. How does it feel to see your work take on a new life beyond Cornwall, particularly in such a prestigious fashion collection?
I've now worked on two collections for Oscar de la Renta. It has been such a thrill to collaborate with such a talented creative team, with each person bringing their own specialist expertise. Seeing my paintings, created in my little studio, transformed into beautiful dresses, coats and bags for people to wear and enjoy has been a truly surreal and magical experience.
I was in New York when the first collection was released, and to experience this for the first time with my daughters was a very proud moment. You want your paintings to live a life after you have created them, and this is another level!
After years of painting Cornwall, is there still a place, season or kind of weather that makes you stop and think, “I need to paint this”?
I would love to paint in heavy rain and use the drops as my water source, whilst moving the canvas or board around. We’ve had such a dry, hot summer, I think I’m craving wild wind and rain and would love to totally immerse myself in the experience of the weather taking over.
Website: MaxineHart.co.uk
Instagram: MaxineHartPaintings
Maxine is wearing the Bude Long Hoodie (Ecru + Blue)
