W H Stockman RIP 12 Jan 2021

William Stockman has been painting since 1969. He was born in 1935 at Clapham Junction. Due to WW2 he was evacuated to Torquay. He attended Torquay Grammar school and excelled in ‘Art ‘taking the top grade and the art prize each year. He went into the RAF to do his National Service. He trained as a chef and did not get a flight until his last day. William enjoyed his free time painting pen and ink drawings of the cook-house and RAF life, and painting memories of life in general.

His aunt encouraged him to sell paintings in his cafe and so William decided to come to Brixham harbourside and paint. he painted initially vivid orange scenes of Brixham. They were so popular he spent more time painting.

One day on the quay there was a disagreement between the artists and William’s paintings ended up in the harbour. A local businessman, Tony Capp, gave William a cup of tea and invited him to use a small room to store and paint his paintings. This room was to be the start of the gallery. William got the other artists together and formed the Strand Art Gallery.

Gordon Allen

Gordon Allen has had a successful career as a professional local artist since 1970. Born in 1945 in Salisbury, Wiltshire, he grew up on his father’s farm in ‘Ebbesbourne Wake’, Wiltshire, and started painting whilst at school where he sold drawings of popstars to his friends. It was whilst on holiday at Mevagissey, Cornwall he met the artist Jack Baron, who taught the 11 year old techniques of drawing and watercolour painting. At 16 he left school and moved to Brixham with his paintings where he joined Brixham Art Society and got ‘write ups’ in the local press and “Western Morning News”, saying that he was “highly recommended” for such a young person. However it was a little time before Gordon realised his ambition to become an artist, as he entered the building industry carrying out bricklaying and other building work. A big influence in the early years was Don Hughes, who was already established on the harbourside when Gordon started, and they painted side by side. Don taught him on how to be loose and creative.

Terry Burke 1972-2018

Sadly, Terry Burke is no longer with us due to his passing away (31-10-2018)

Terry will be missed for his paintings, humour and his devotion to painting and Church.

Terry was the veteran of all the artists, since he started painting professionally in 1957 in Brixham.

Artist, musician , composer and writer, Terry is remembered by many, for his sensitive, impressionistic paintings of Brixham. Terry has had one-man exhibitions in many European cities. He used be seen painting in the gallery, until his health failed in 2013.

Terry liked to paint in many media from watercolours, acrylics to oils. He was an expert on paint chemistry, Rennaissence paintings, and the methods of their painting.

John Graham

Born 1935 Bradford, Yorkshire.

John, a retired policeman who paints professionally for pleasure.

Trained as a ship’s carpenter, in Essex, followed by a years’ National Service in the RAF, John then joined the Police Force, where he took up painting ‘Thames Barges’ as a hobby.

Approached by galleries, he exhibited both in London galleries, and in Cornwall, including Padstow, Hayle, and St. Ives.

John was drawn to Brixham because of the unique artistic life in the harbourside. No matter where he went in Devon and Cornwall he was always drawn to Brixham, so much so he moved there in 1983.

Since his retirement from the Police, John has focused on his painting, and has sold strongly both in the UK and abroad.

John now paints regularly at the Strand Art Gallery, Brixham, and has himself become one of the artists that make up the harbourside colony of artists.

Current Paintings for sale

examples of previous work

Costa Andrea

Costas is a local Torbay artist, new to the gallery, who moved to the area a few years ago, from the city, and from a hectic and successful professional life as an international lawyer, to spend more quality time with his wife and young family.

Costas is a completely self taught artist. He started painting once he moved to the area, due to his love of fishing which he had taken up, off Princess Pier in Torquay, Costas began to appreciate the raw beauty of the Bay from the Pier, right round from Brixham to Torquay; spending many hours watching the ever-changing effects of the sun on the waves. Costas keeps those images in his ‘mind’s eye’ as he paints. He does not paint in either an abstract or photographic way, but with a style that is slightly ethereal and mystical, usually in oils on canvas. Due to the nature of his work in ‘real-life, Costas deals in hard facts, thus he finds the freedom of painting a compete contrast, and so relaxing, exploring his inner self, and creative development.