I was particularly honoured to be asked to judge the Blind Art Competition for the Cornwall Blind Association at The Royal Cornwall Show on Saturday.

The CBA  invited guests to their stand over the three day period at this year’s Royal Cornwall Show to try their hand at painting, but with a twist, they were blind folded or wore spectacles that simulate serious visual impairment.   Over 150 adults and children entered into the spirit and experienced the challenges faced by those who live with sight loss. There was also a chance for the best paintings to win prizes, including a family day out at Crealy Adventure Park and a night a The Metropole Hotel in Padstow.

It was an amazing experience watching how people deal with a sight loss and work out strategies for creating their pictures through ingenuity and inspired thinking.    I have to say that it was  an incredibly difficult competition to judge and I would liked to have  had 150 prizes  to award.

Pictured with Jackie Southon, Head of Service Delivery CBA

Pictured with the CBA team

Listen to the podcast below to hear what I was doing with the Cornwall Blind Association at the Royal Cornwall Show.

I would just like to thank everyone who supported me on Friday evening and helped to make the evening very special, in particular Linda and Georgia Stoneman and Sheila and the staff of The Stoneman Gallery.  Also a special thank you to my friends, family and admirers of my work, including those who could not make the event due to prior commitments or distance.

Chris Billingon and Georgia Stoneman with “Lido”

My exhibition page has been updated with some photo’s of the Private View, and pictured below is the first of the paintings that sold on the night,”Crossing The Pool, Larkswood”,  to a lady who was keen to add it to her collection of sixteen other “Billington’s”.

Crossing the Pool, Larkswood

Some shots of the gallery which were taken before the Private View…

Here is  a photo taken on International Museum Day at the Musuem Zitadelle, Julich showing the presentation of the museum’s newly acquired Schirmer along with my “Lempertz”.

Pictured at the official ceremony  is Dr Egon Vietzke, along with the Mayor of Julich – Burgermeister Stommel, Udo Zimmermann and Museumchef Marcell Perse.  A very proud moment for all concerned, especially me.

There is a newspaper article on my “press” page taken from the Aachener Zeitung.

Lido – an Italian term from the name of a bathing place in Venice – a space usually designed for activities around water with areas for sunbathing and eating.

Lido the exhibition was born out of my love of Jubilee Pool and the many happy childhood memories of endless summer days at the poolside. It is a subject that I keep coming back to as a painter and it was the catalyst for this show, included alongside new works on Jubilee Pool are paintings of Plymouth’s Tinside, Weston–super-Mare and Saltdean.

Saltdean (2011) 28in x 24in – acrylic on canvas

Tinside (2011) – 40in x 36in – acrylic on canvas

I could not have completed this work without the help of  the excellent Lido website compiled by Oliver Merrington, see link below, and the  invaluable aid of  the remarkable book Liquid Assets:

Full details and images will be uploaded to the exhibition page in a few days…

Lido 11th June – 2nd July

Stoneman Gallery
56 Chapel Street
Penzance TR18 4AE

The Stoneman Gallery
01736 361756/351555
07971873268

www.lidos.org.uk