This painting Hartland Point IV by Alan Cotton depicts the rocks at Hartland Point in North Devon. The artist has used the impasto technique, applying the oil paint onto the canvas with a knife, effectively creating a rich texture evoking the many subtle colours and angles of the dramatic rocks there. It was painted in 1981 and was commissioned by the University to Commemorate its Silver Jubilee and is part of the University’s Fine Art collection.

Alan Cotton has been drawn to the scenery of the North Devon coastline since the mid 1970s several years after he moved to Devon. He has created many paintings of Hartland in particular, of which this is one example.

Alan Cotton has painted many other Devon landscapes, including the Otter Valley in East Devon, where he lives. The distinguished landscape artist has also travelled further afield for inspiration, from Provence and Italy and two trips to the base camp of Everest, which resulted a collection of stunning paintings using his impasto style to re-create the stark light and shade made by the effect of the way in which the sunlight falls on the world’s highest mountain.

Alan Cotton is an Honorary Graduate of the University of Exeter. The University has several of his works in its Fine Art collection, including a series depicting Hartland Point. Both the RAMM and Plymouth City Art Gallery have Hartland paintings as part of their permanent collection. Watch a sequence of films about Alan Cotton and how Hartland has been an inspiration for his art here.

Find out more about the artist at: http://www.alancotton.co.uk/