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Art

Art

"All this beauty is of God" is the motto of the Isle of Wight. In order to capture this beauty many professional artists visited the Island during the 18th century. Among them was Joseph Turner who visited the Island to make sketches of the landscape which he later turned into paintings in his studio. In the early 19th century, water-colour painting was being promoted and many artists came to the Island to paint the coastal scenery. Likewise during the 1850's many eminent painters visited Bonchurch where they painted for several seasons.

Once Queen Victoria was settled at Osborne, many artists visited to portray coastal shipping and yachting scenes. Indeed the Island with its landscape and architecture is an artist's paradise.

Of course art is not restricted to painting. Dimbola at Freshwater was the home of Julia Margaret Cameron the pioneering photographer who was a contemporary of Tennyson, and has been made into a museum.

The Island has glassworks where one can watch sand being turned into beautiful glassware. There are also working potteries where visitors can see the potter in action; at Chessell Pottery visitors to the pottery are given the chance to make something for themselves.

Island school children have great fun creating beach sculptures using items found on the beach. Collages can be made using flora discovered on nature trails and the same finds can be used for observational drawing.

Many of the churches on the Isle of Wight date back hundreds of years. Rubbings can sometimes be made of plaques and even headstones!