Current Exhibition

Margret Steigner and Paul Sims | Penzance Gallery

27th June – 11th July


Margret Steigner

Margret Steigner was born in Germany, moving to the UK in 1989 where she studied at Goldsmiths College. She lived in London for a number of years, teaching art in various community settings as well as developing her own practice, before moving to Penzance in 2000. She now lives and works near Lamorna in West Cornwall.

A compelling characteristic of Margret Steigner’s paintings is their exceptional fusion of expressive and spatial sensibility. Poised on the very edge of abstraction, there is nevertheless a powerful evocation of land, of sea, of sky. Margret says of her work, “I like to translate what I see into how I feel it, so that when I’ve experienced a landscape I paint to capture its essence – the wildness, roughness, softness ….”

Viewed from afar, the compositions and skilful use of colour create a vast sense of space and the far distance of horizon. Closer examination reveals rich, carefully worked multi-layered surfaces with startling combinations of material, colour and sensitive delicate mark-making. Using dense layers of paint and incorporating metal and other materials, the paintings change as changing light falls on them, and have a diffuse, reflective quality.

Margret's paintings resonate with the extraordinary light and wild beauty of the Cornish landscape which inspires her."



Paul Sims

Paul has been creating visual imagery on an international level for 30 years. From Art School in Cardiff he rapidly progressed from BBC Wales to become head of graphic design for the BBC, pioneering the use of on screen computer graphics for breakfast TV in London.

On Leaving the BBC he subsequently worked in commercials, post producing award winning effects for global brands such as Ford, Coca Cola and McDonalds and achieved international recognition for his skills in every aspect of visual effects in TV and film, receiving an Indian “oscar” for his work on a “Bollywood” movie.

A life changing decision led him to up sticks and move to St. Ives in Cornwall to pursue his first love of painting.

“It now seems a life time ago when I spent many long days sat in the post production studios of Soho. I am now fortunate enough to spend a considerable amount of my time walking my two dogs along the coast paths of Cornwall. Most of this around Cape Cornwall and Lands End area, where the sea never ceases to attract me. I watch, study, gather my reference ready to return to my studio and paint that experience.

I started painting the sea in earnest approximately four years ago. Because of the enjoyment and the excellent response I have had from my work I continue to do so. My exhibition last year was entitled Crashing Waves where I concentrated on that moment when a wave was about to crash down or “break” over.

I have continue with that theme for most of this new collection. However on some of the paintings I have concentrated more on the texture of the water. I have tried to capture the power and gravity of the water. I have questioned more and more how the whole environment can change the colour, reflections and quality of the water. I find flat Mediterranean type seas, although very beautiful to look at and be beside quite boring to paint. Consequently most of my work will have an Autumnal or Wintery appearance. I painstakingly build this up with layers and layers and layers of paint. At a distance they can appear photographic however on inspection you will see that I try to “express” the texture in a very physical way of working rather than paint it with a brush. It is a slow process and not really until the last 90% of a painting I am starting to get happy with the results.”

Paul Sims

Click here for the full 2009 Exhibition Schedule.