Directors Henry and Sasha Garfit reflect on 15 years of Newlyn School of Art.
“We were taking our first booking for a course here while I was giving birth. Henry was on the phone and I was in labour. We were young and crazy and thought that it was all going to be fine.” Sasha Garfit laughs, “And it has been fine!”
From Henry Garfit’s very first interview with the BBC, running on so little sleep that he couldn’t remember a word he’d said, and hand-delivering materials as and when they were needed, Henry and Sasha remain to this day, dedicated problem-solvers with a can-do attitude.
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Henry Garfit filming for "Escape to the Country"
Artists working with artists for artists.
When Henry and Sasha first opened the school, they recognised that West Cornwall was home to an incredible community of artists who struggled to survive solely on the income from their studio output. They believed that with the huge number of people who visit Cornwall for the arts, and the artists who had so much to give; “it just seemed to us that, if we could put those two things together and create well-paid work for quite a number of artists, then we could be creating a great deal of work for artists that's really needed.” Henry explains. “And that’s been a major reason for us doing what we’re doing.”
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Anita Reynolds teaching a group of Professional Landscape students
Today, Newlyn School of Art works with around 30 to 40 artist tutors who are “artists first” and bring years of experience to their teaching.
“I realised quite early on that it’s not that the artists are sharing things that they learned when they were studying for their degree... they’re sharing 20, 30, 40 years of what they’ve learned on their own in their studios. That’s the gold dust for me. It’s like an amazing shortcut to decades of experience.” Henry explains.
This commitment to artist-led support extends behind the scenes with the school's technicians also being practicing artists who understand exactly what a studio space requires before a course begins. Their care and attention to detail is often praised by visiting students.
Close-up of paint brushes
Encouraging play within the studio.
Located just four miles from the North Coast and a 15-minute drive from Land’s End, Newlyn School of Art makes West Cornwall’s dramatic landscape their playground. Sasha and Henry excitedly recall a workshop held for local children, teaching them just how messy you can be with art:
“They rolled Sam Bassett up in an enormous roll of brown paper from head to toe! Seeing what the room looked like at the end of the night, where we’d got tennis ball ink marks all over the ceiling and the walls... but we're not precious about this space. People are encouraged to feel free enough to just get their hands dirty.”
That encouragement of experimental, expressive play keeps tutors energised and engaged, a sense of creativity that is utterly infectious.
Rob Unett's "Abstract Figure" painting course
A catalyst for confidence.
Many artists who pass through its doors say that the key thing they’ve gained from Newlyn School of Art is confidence and self-belief.
"Building confidence is something that every artist needs." Henry states.
Artistic practice can be surprisingly isolating, and working alone can make it difficult to contextualise ideas. Working with a large peer group and meeting all our visiting artists, students suddenly have access to new perspectives and experiences.
This sense of community reached a spectacular high point during a record-breaking collaborative project:
"My favourite memory is the art school's event in September 2019 on the clifftop with 1,000 different artists together which was covered on the BBC National news," Henry reminisces. "The buzz and energy of people in this line, about two yards apart for a mile between Sennen and Land’s End... we realised that there’s a community around the school which is really palpable. It’s grown so much bigger than we could have dreamt of when we started."
A record-breaking number of artists painting on the Cornish coastline
The future of Newlyn School of Art.
Operating as a self-sufficient not-for-profit organisation, Newlyn School of Art generates around 6,000 overnight stays in Penzance and Newlyn per year. This brings increased footfall to local restaurants, galleries, pubs and independent shops, creating a large web of economic and social benefit in West Cornwall.
Henry and Sasha are now set on making their high-quality artist tuition and mentoring courses accessible to young people and those of low financial backgrounds. Through the support of the generous O’Brien family, and in honour of their son, the Toby O’Brien Foundation funds one full place on the school's prestigious mentoring programme, AGORA, every year. The school has since created around 15 additional bursaries and hope to further develop these opportunities:
“We’d like to expand the opportunities for people who might not otherwise be able to afford a year of mentoring,” Henry says. “We’re looking for support from companies that would like to support an artist to get them the mentoring that will take them from getting their work in a place where they want it to be, and out there into galleries.”
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Maggie O'Brien, co-founder of the Toby O'Brien Foundation
Founder Directors Henry and Sasha Garfit
After 15 fun-filled years, and the support of their small team, Henry and Sasha Garfit continue to nurture rich relationships in the local community, and uphold their ethos of artists working with artists, for artists at Newlyn School of Art.
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