This gorgeous churn was painted by Michael Praed.
Michael Praed was bom in Cornwall in 1941 and studied art locally at the Penzance and Falmouth Schools of Art and Brighton College of Art. He taught painting and drawing for nearly thirty years before leaving teaching to concentrate full-time on his own work. Michael lived in the fishing port of Newlyn for over forty years, where his studio overlooked the spectacular views of the harbour and across the bay to St Michaels Mount. He has now moved to a new studio in the countryside of West Penwith, but still has sight of the sea. Michael’s paintings of the Cornish coastline, cliff formations, harbour walls and fishermen working with nets are instantly recognisable as his own innovative style Michael’s work has been exhibited widely in the UK and throughout continental Europe with several one-man exhibitions in London. He has been a long-standing member of the Penwith Society of Artists since 1970.

From Michael…In my most recent painting I have become more concerned with the vertical and horizontal line, found in Cornwall harbour walls, contrasting with the softer, curving forms of the fishing craft within these compositions. The spacing and positioning of abstracted shape, within the frame, are as important to me as the layering of texture, colour and tone using oil paint in with a mixed media. I am seeking to capture the vibrancy and luminosity of the changing Cornish light and this governs the final outcome of each painting.