I have gained very great inspiration from the Cornish land- and seascape, the horizontal line of the sea and the quality of light and colour which reminds me of the Mediterranean light and colour which so excites one’s sense of form; and first and last there is the human figure which in the country becomes a free and moving part of a greater whole. This relationship between figure and landscape is vitally important to me. I cannot feel it in a city.

Barbara Hepworth

The sculptor Barbara Hepworth and her husband, painter Ben Nicholson, came to live in St Ives when World War Two broke out in 1939, as a haven from London. She stayed here for the rest of her life, living and working in Trewyn studios from 1949 until her death in 1975; she died in a fire here at the studio she loved. It was her wish that her home and studio were set up as a museum of her work.

A visit to the studios

Our visit here was a real highlight of a recent short stay in St Ives. Inside the house a series of photos taken over the full period of her time here provide a sense of the artist and her work. There are a few pieces displayed here too; but it is in the garden that the exhibits really come to life, placed just as she wanted them among the plants and flowers. To me their organic forms fit perfectly into this garden landscape.

So I’m sharing a selection of the photos I took there for this week’s Lens-Artists Challenge; Ann-Christine suggests that we pick our own subject, something that we find interesting. I loved exploring these works in this perfect setting and I hope you will too.

I visited St Ives in 2019