As one of the South West's leading contemporary artists, Kurt Jacspends his time exploring and painting the rugged countryside and coastline of the Land's End Peninsula. Kurt Jackson's highly individual landscapes are much prized in the art world, and can fetch up to £40,000 a canvas.  | | Kurt at work in Cornwall |
Kurt made Cornwall his home in 1984 after he'd graduated from University and travelled extensively around the world. He studied Zoology, not art, but found that painting allowed him to better express his love of the natural world. A new TV series 'A Picture of Britain' takes Kurt Jackson on a journey around Cornwall and explores how the landscapes of the area have inspired his work over the last 20 years. On location Some of Kurt Jackson's favourite subjects are the valleys, moorland and coast near to his West Cornwall home which he returns to repeatedly in his paintings.  | | Working off the Cornish coast |
Jackson prefers the outdoor life to that of being cocooned in a studio. He explores the South West carrying his paints, sketchbooks and canvases. He has trekked St. Michaels Way, an ancient pilgrim route running from Lelant in St Ives bay to Marazion in Mounts Bay, resulting in a series of 172 drawings. By painting outdoors and on location Kurt feels he can immerse himself in the landscape and weather. Kurt tries to capture through his work his feelings and sense of awareness of the particular environment he is painting, rather than fleeting impressions. To get a real sense of place, he regularly paints large canvases of 3 metres x 2 metres out on the cliff tops, weighted down by granite boulders. When working back in his studio, Kurt will produce hundreds of sketches of the location he wants to paint.  | | Kurt Jackson in front of one of his pieces of work |
Kurt will also incorporate debris and found objects from the scene into his canvases - he feels that it helps him to capture the essence of the location. He is also not afraid to write directly onto his canvases. Words and phrases that spring to his mind whilst painting find themselves incorporated into the piece. Protecting the countryside As Jackson is so immersed in the landscape, he is sensitive to the threats it faces. Kurt is a committed and active environmental campaigner, and often gives paintings to charities to help them raise funds to protect the landscape he so loves. Jackson has been artist in residence at the Glastonbury Festival for the past seven years. The work he produces is auctioned off for environmental charities at the end of the festival. You can see Kurt Jackson's vision of Cornwall as part of the 'A Picture of Britain' series on Wednesday 8 June at 10.40pm on BBC One South West. | 
