DOLPHINS
I found myself, like many people, quite upset and deeply saddened by the recent news and pictures of hundreds of whales beaching themselves in New Zealand and dying. Thanks to the kindness of volunteers, some were re-floated and saved, but hundreds , it seems, died.
This blog,today, is actually about Dolphins.
A few weeks ago, whilst walking around Rinsey Head , I was very fortunate to see a pod of Dolphins swimming and hunting for fish about half a mile out at sea. It was a wonderful and mesmerising sight ! It was also, very hard to tear yourself away from watching them . You just keep wanting another, and another glimpse ! They are magical creatures ! Apparently, they'd been seen quite a lot that week in Mounts Bay, and some people had organised pleasure craft for people to go out and see them. There are some films on You Tube, if you want to have a look.
I remember a couple of years ago, seeing some Dolphins in Coverack Bay, just off the harbour. It was a wintry day and they had probably followed , and were hunting fish in the bay.
Unfortunately, the other times that I've seen Dolphins, is when they've been washed up dead ! Usually victims of fishing nets, or maybe, some times, stormy seas.
The picture above, which I made, some years ago, is of one such sad creature ! A Dolphin that was washed up on Poltesco beach. You can see the very defined shape of the fin ( blue) in the picture. The border, surrounding it, is a close up of the lacerated skin of the poor creature. A striking , colourful, picture of a very sad subject matter.
In my long career, I've painted many things, and I was wondering about Dolphins ! Had I painted one ? Well, yes, It turns out I did ! And here it is !
The Dolphin appeared on a book called SHADOW REALM by author Marc Alexander. It was the third book in a series of four, called THE WELLS OF YTHAN..
I liked the idea of the Dolphin, safely guiding the hero's ship through the deadly rocks.
I actually got a lovely letter from Marc Alexander, telling me how much he loved my artwork for the covers. It's nice, when that happens.
Sadly, reality bites ! The poor creature below was washed up here at Poldhu Cove, Mullion a couple of weeks ago.
A very sad sight !
Rinsey, is about 15 miles along the coast from here. You pass the signs for it, as you drive towards Penzance. It's owned by the National Trust. There's a fantastic beach at the bottom. Great for paddling and swimming. At the top of the cliffs, there is an old, abandoned engine house. Here are some pictures from my photo archives to give you an idea of Rinsey.
You can see the Lizard Peninsula, and Mullion in the background.
There's lots of rock pools to explore and
investigate too !
I hope you liked the pictures of Rinsey. Do go and visit, if you get the chance.
I remember, when I was painting the quirky, Garden Series of paintings, thinking that on one, I was going to paint a Dolphin leaping out of a garden fountain ! To expect the unexpected !
Looking out to sea, here in Cornwall, it's good to get that unexpected view of something like Dolphins from time to time.
Take care
Stephen
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