Artist Spotlight: Jamie Medlin ARSMA

What drew you specifically to marine art? 

Falmouth! We are surrounded by the sea and it’s hard not to get captivated by it. A friend of my dad was a local marine artist and gave me my first lessons in watercolours and some reference of local working boats to practise. That was the start of what turned into a love of the beauty of Falmouth Working Boats and gaff rigged yachts. That then led me to discovering the great gaff rigged Fife yachts from the early 1900s after a friend took me to the Jubilee Regatta in Cowes in 2001. 

What I witnessed changed my career path. I then attended some of the Mediterranean regattas in St Tropez and Cannes where I witnessed the incredible and beautiful 19 metre Mariquita, the most beautiful yachts in the world in my opinion, and the four remaining 15 metre yachts (Tuiga, The Lady Anne, and more recently Mariska and Hispania). It is hard not to be impressed by the size and beauty of these utterly stunning vessels. 

The scenic work used to be a sideline to my yachting work, but when I realised how many others appreciate the beauty I see in nature and have the love for Cornwall that I have, it was the obvious step to produce more paintings of my wonderful home county and all the stunning views within it. 

The sea is so many things and affects people in so many different ways. It enhances emotions and affects moods in a positive way. It's beautiful, charming, soothing, tranquil, relaxing, mesmerising, scary, exhilarating, empowering, uplifting (and many more) all rolled into one, depending on conditions. Who wouldn't want a reminder or depiction of that on their wall?

Cornwall clearly plays a strong role in your work. How does living and working in Falmouth inspire the subjects, light, and mood of your paintings?

We are blessed in Falmouth to be surrounded by an endless amount of wonderful scenes. Combine this with wonderful light and differing weather conditions and the possibilities are limitless. Whether it be from a stormy cliff scene to a misty haze hit by a rising or dropping sunlight, there is always something to see beauty in. From my old flat window, I could see out to a bay, two harbours, an estuary, seven headlands, two castles, a lighthouse, a river and a dockyard. (There is) inspiration everywhere!

You have mentioned previously being fascinated by light, weather, and the moods of the sea. Can you describe your process for capturing ever changing weather in paint?

Because my paintings take so long, I have to work from photos, so 'changing' light doesn't really matter - I just wait for the right moments to press the shutter. Once we have the best reference, it's a process of layers, edging closer to the desired effect with each coat. The first is just a base coat, getting as close as possible to position the different elements, colour and tone as we can. The second is a tweaking layer, adjusting the position of things and using the first coat as a guide to adjust colours with a thinner tinting layer and add any more detailed elements. 

What advice would you give to aspiring artists who want to pursue marine art or capture realism in their work? 

Observation, and developing an understanding of light. The simplest piece of advice would be to say 'just put the colours in the right places'. It's no harder than that. If you replicate the reference, it'll be something like the intended result. Practise, more practise and patience. Also look at other artists for inspiration on technique. 

And finally, do you have a favourite work you are exhibiting in the RSMA Annual Exhibition 2025, and why? 

They are all kind of favourites in a way as they are paintings I've been wanting to paint for ages, but as they are a little different to my typical subject matter or style, I was afraid of 'risking' doing them. I'm glad I did tackle them because I achieved the desired finish I wanted with them all and they have received the positive comments I was hoping for. If I had to choose, I think it would be 'Buoyed'. It is such a striking image, but simple. I think it is calming, striking, relaxing and contemporary all in one.