Cullercoats A North-east Colony of Artists

Described as a 'little bohemia-by-the-sea', the small fishing village of Cullercoats on Britain's north-east coast was home to a thriving colony of artists at the end of the nineteenth century. Most of the painters were drawn from across the region, but Cullercoats also attracted a number of artists of national repute, including Frank Holl, William Quiller Orchardson and, most famously, the American artist Winslow Homer. His Cullercoats sojourn marked a watershed in Homer's watercolour style, but also arguably had a lasting influence on many of the other colonists. The Cullercoats colony must also be regarded as part of the international nineteenth-century artists' colony phenomenon since the themes and techniques found in Cullercoats paintings are shared by similar colonies at Newlyn and Staithes in England and at Skagen in Denmark, for example. Unlike their counterparts in Newlyn in particular, most Cullercoats artists were born locally and instead of collectively bombarding the Royal Academy exNewton, Laura is the author of 'Cullercoats A North-east Colony of Artists', published 2007 under ISBN 9781904537014 and ISBN 1904537014.