“We awoke to one of those extraordinary snow-clamped silent mornings when it feels that the world has stopped…”

Kurt Jackson.

Trenarth Bridge, Port Navas. High water with the grey wagtails. 2022. mixed media on museum board. 50 x 50cm.

Trenarth Bridge, Port Navas. High water with the grey wagtails. 2022. mixed media on museum board. 50 x 50cm.

Across the mouth of the Helford to a misty Falmouth. 2022. mixed media on museum board. 50 x 50cm.

Across the mouth of the Helford to a misty Falmouth. 2022. mixed media on museum board. 50 x 50cm.

Curlew cry. The oaks and boats opposite are in Port Navas. 2021. mixed media on paper. 57 x 60cm.

Curlew cry. The oaks and boats opposite are in Port Navas. 2021. mixed media on paper. 57 x 60cm.

Down with the waders. 2022. mixed media on linen. 103 x 118cm.

Down with the waders. 2022. mixed media on linen. 103 x 118cm.

Fine evening, voices carry across the estuary, Powders. 2021. mixed media on canvas board. 61 x 61cm.

Fine evening, voices carry across the estuary, Powders. 2021. mixed media on canvas board. 61 x 61cm.

Mawnan acorns and apples. 2021. mixed media on museum board. 22 x 22cm.

Mawnan acorns and apples. 2021. mixed media on museum board. 22 x 22cm.

Across the mouth before the rain came in. 2021. mixed media on canvas. 91 x 91cm.

Across the mouth before the rain came in. 2021. mixed media on canvas. 91 x 91cm.

Pengwidden Wood. Jack by the hedge, wild strawberry and lesser celandine. 2021. mixed media on museum board. 22 x 22cm.

Pengwidden Wood. Jack by the hedge, wild strawberry and lesser celandine. 2021. mixed media on museum board. 22 x 22cm.

The name Kurt Jackson is synonymous with large-scale, ambitious, visceral plein-air paintings that capture the raw power and natural beauty of the landscape laid before his canvas.

In this collection, leading British contemporary artist Kurt Jackson revisits the Helford River, it’s creeks and tributaries to reveal stunning beauty and incredible biodiversity. Along the way, Jackson explores the wildlife and the communities that live in and on this unique watercourse.

For Helford River, Jackson turns his eye to that stretch of water running west to east, entering the sea into Falmouth Bay. The Helford’s shoreline is vast, taking in a wide range of habitats; its exposed rocky estuary stands in stark contrast to the sheltered muddy creeks found further inland. This flooded river valley is fed by seven streams including Frenchman’s Creek, immortalised by Daphne DuMaurier’s enduringly popular novel of the same name.

A dedicated environmentalist, Kurt Jackson is drawn to the Helford not just for its stunning vistas and romantic associations, but equally for its significance as an area rich in biodiversity and importance to conservation and wildlife.

In what is sure to be another blockbuster, this exhibition draws together Jackson’s paintings, sculpture, etchings and ceramics to celebrate a truly unique part of Cornwall.

August 27 2022 – February 25 2023.
Jackson Foundation Gallery, North Row, St Just, Cornwall, TR19 7LB.

Please check here for seasonal opening times.

Exhibition catalogue can be purchased here