Ralphs

Ralph's captures a Newquay sports bar coming to life after dark. Viewed across the open space of a car park, its illuminated frontage draws the eye towards a place built around gathering, meeting friends, watching sport and sharing the atmosphere of an evening together.

Not every painting begins with something I've spotted myself. This one began with a suggestion.

After painting Rosa, owner Pete suggested I should paint Herd and Ralph's too. I probably wouldn't have chosen it otherwise. Sitting within a row of buildings, it presented exactly the kind of architectural complexity I usually try to avoid.

But I went out specifically to photograph it and started looking for the painting within the location.

What eventually interested me was the view from across the car park and the mural of poppies in the building across the road. That open foreground gave the building the breathing space I needed, while the lights of Ralph's created a clear focal point beyond it.

Ralph's is a sports bar: a place that really comes into its own in the evening, when people gather to watch a match, meet friends and share the experience of whatever is unfolding on the screens inside.

What began with individual paintings gradually became a set. Herd, Rosa and Ralph's are connected through the same owner, but each represents a different kind of social space and has developed its own visual character.