Porthleven in Winter: A Drawing Born on the Road
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In the year we sold our house to live full time in a camper, we travelled the entire Cornish coastline. It was one of those decisions that changes everything — trading walls and a mortgage for open roads, sea air, and the freedom to stop wherever the light was right.
One of those stops was Porthleven.
We pulled in for the day and I found myself standing at the harbour, looking up at the steep hill behind the water. Cottages were scattered among the trees, climbing the hillside in that unhurried Cornish way. The harbour wall curved out into the sea with quiet confidence. I took a photograph, knowing immediately I wanted to draw it.
There's something about Porthleven that stays with you. It's not the most famous of Cornwall's harbours, but it has a drama to it — the way the land rises sharply from the water, the way the trees soften what could otherwise feel severe. It felt like a place that had earned its character.
Back in the van, I worked up the drawing from that photograph. The result is one of my favourite prints — faithful to the scene but with the texture and weight that only a pen drawing can give it.
The print is available in my shop, and if it's your first order, use code PINTEREST15 for 15% off.