Mousehole Harbour Lights

One Cornish harbour and a little Christmas magic!

Mousehole Harbour Lights Cornwall Artist Diane Griffiths
Mousehole Harbour Lights Cornwall Artist Diane Griffiths
Mousehole Harbour Lights Cornwall Artist Diane Griffiths
 

The Story

I visited Mousehole's famous Christmas lights for the first time in 2025, and it didn't take long to see why they've become such a cherished Cornish tradition.

The harbour is transformed by illuminated displays, with colourful reflections stretching across the water and familiar buildings providing the backdrop. It's an experience that encourages people to venture out on a winter evening, wander around the harbour and discover something unexpected around the next corner.

For someone who spends so much time painting the world after dark, there was plenty to catch my attention.

I came away with ideas for three paintings, each capturing a different part of the experience.

Mousehole Harbour Lights

The harbour itself was the starting point, with its illuminated displays reflected across the water. I wanted to capture the atmosphere of the whole scene, where light, colour and the surrounding buildings come together.

Christmas Trees and Nessie

One of the joys of Mousehole's lights is the mixture of traditional Christmas imagery and more playful displays. The illuminated Christmas trees and Nessie offered a rather different composition, full of character and unexpected details.

Pink Octopus

And then there was the pink octopus.

I couldn't resist painting it. There's something wonderfully unexpected about finding a brightly illuminated octopus amongst the Christmas lights, and it was one of the details that stayed with me after the visit.

 

A Little More Light

All three paintings have another little secret. I've used UV-reactive paint to add details to the stars and, most importantly, the illuminated displays themselves.

Under ordinary light, the paintings capture the colourful atmosphere of Mousehole Harbour Lights. But shine a UV torch over them and the illuminations glow in a different way, bringing a little of the original experience into the paintings.

It seemed particularly fitting for a collection inspired by an event where the lights themselves are the attraction.

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