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Hastings and St Leonards Museum Association

Hastings Museum & Art Gallery in Bohemia Road staged the latest exhibition of Louis Dodd’s maritime paintings. The exhibition, brings together a selection of paintings by Louis Dodd that have never been viewed in public before. The exhibition continues until June 7th. Admission is free

An armed brigantine and other shipping off the Cinque Port of Hastings 1750, painted in 2003, © estate of Louis Dodd
The exhibition was opened by Dendy Easton, Fine Art Consultant for Bonhams and Cllr. Dawn Poole, chair of the Museum committee in the Long Gallery at the Museum, noted for its impressive display of paintings local views. Louis Dodd was born in 1943, at the Buchanan Hospital in Hastings. His artistic career began at an early age when he won the prize for the best painting at a young people's competition at the White Rock Pavilion. At St. Pauls' School he was lucky enough to have John Spencer-Roberts as his art teacher, and was encouraged by him to enrol at Hastings School of Art. He then studied at Goldsmiths College from 1960 to 1963, and attained the National Diploma in Design. After graduating, he remained there as a member of staff, teaching graphics and running the reprographic unit. Later he taught at Hastings School of Art, before becoming a full-time painter at the age of 36. He was the only three-time winner of the Schaefer Award for documentary painting in the Annual Mystic International Exhibition, and the first contemporary artist to be listed in the Dictionary of Maritime Painters: his work is in corporate collections and museums around the world.
Weeks or even months of careful research and countless sketches preceded each painting, and he developed his own highly refined method of painting, based on the techniques of the Old Masters. Painting in oils on carefully prepared gessoed panels of mahogany, and later of marine ply, he began with a base painting of the sky, sea and background. Over that, using a very fine brush, he painted the detailed outlines of shipping and background buildings. Then he applied many layers of transparent glazes, allowing ample drying time between them, and this created a brilliance of colour, and illusion of light to the finished work. Having worked from historic documents archives and engravings, the works on display contain a wealth of subtle and exquisite detail resulting from meticulous research into every subject the artist addressed. He carefully saved paintings that he particularly liked for the family and together with his sketches reference material, and objects from his studio they form the major part of this exhibition. Louis’ daughter Juliette helped to curate the exhibition and was there with her family for the opening. Louis' widow is a renowned miniature artist, Barbara Valentine, who paints the most exquisite, also traditional pictures. Barbara also gives classes. Sadly Louis passed away in 2006	Louis Dodd 1943 - 2006

Above: Juliette Dodd and her daughter Right: Juliette, herself an artist, with her sculpture of her father
	Some of the paintings exhibited.


Some of the crowd at the opening	Examining Louis' painting tools
A demonstration showing how the painting is built up	Members of the Hastings and St Leonards Museum Association

Dendy Easton and councillor Dawn Poole in the long gallery open the exhibition. Museum Curator Cathy Walling points out Hastings' Turner painting to the right of the Pelican.

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