BBC Radio Cornwall Interview 18th July 2025
Did you hear my chat with the lovely Julie Skentelbery on BBC Radio Cornwall on Friday 18th July? Don’t worry if you missed it—you can catch up now on the BBC Sounds website!
I’ll be honest: walking into the BBC radio suite that morning came with a healthy dose of nerves. There’s something about the red light of a live recording that makes your heart thud just that little bit harder! But Julie instantly put me at ease—warm, funny, and genuinely curious about the painting and the story behind it. Before I knew it, we were chatting away.
We talked all about my latest painting Insert Coin to Begin, which is part of the SAA Artist of the Year competition and currently up for the People’s Choice Award.
Julie described the painting beautifully: a neon-lit amusement arcade glowing in turquoise and pink, sitting quietly beneath a vast starry night sky. It’s set on Cliff Road in Newquay—just opposite Aldi, near the train station—an area not usually thought of as ‘picturesque’, but that’s exactly what drew me to it. I’m fascinated by the everyday, the overlooked, and the unexpected beauty you can find when the lights go down and the colours start to glow.
We chatted about how I’ve evolved from painting classic Cornish seascapes to exploring scenes that are a little more urban, a little more unusual—like this arcade, or the Texaco garage I painted recently. These works might be less traditional, but they seem to strike a chord.
I’m always scanning the streets now, looking for those surprising corners of Cornwall that come to life in the dark—lit by neon, headlights, or the moon.
Voting is now open, I would be grateful and humbled if you would help me once again get my artwork seen by submitting your vote for my painting ‘Insert Coin to Begin’ - another tribute to the everyday Newquay. Those local to Newquay will recognise this amusement arcade near the train station, opposite Aldi, next to The Chippy.
Click on the THUMBS-UP in the link below (you also need to validate via email with a 6 digit code - sorry about the extra step!)
Every vote really does help—thank you for all your support!
