St Ives School Style Still Life with Fish, Pear and Boat

Colour and pattern do all the talking in this semi abstract still life, painted in mixed media on board in the much loved St Ives School style. A pale plate holds a stylised blue fish and a golden pear, while a little boat rides above on a suggestion of sea, the whole scene broken into bold panels of pink, teal, yellow and warm terracotta and held together with strong dark outlines. It reads as pattern as much as picture, that playful, colourist take on a coastal subject that makes this style so collectable and so easy to live with.

It measures 50.5 x 60.5 cm in its pale, weathered wood frame, which suits the chalky brightness of the palette and gives the piece a relaxed, coastal feel. A good size, it will hold a wall on its own or lead a group of pictures. It comes to you in good order, with a stable board and an intact painted surface, and honest age to the frame, all shown closely in the photographs.

The St Ives School is one of the most collected traditions in British art, born on the north Cornish coast and known for turning boats, harbours and simple still lifes into bright, semi abstract compositions. This is a characterful original working happily in that idiom, full of the warmth and wit the best of these paintings carry.

Hang it in a kitchen or a dining room where the fish and fruit suit the setting, in a hallway for a hit of colour on the way through, or group it on a gallery wall with other modern and coastal pieces. It looks wonderful against a white wall and even better against a deep painted colour that picks up one of its tones. Bold, cheerful and full of character, it is the kind of art that lifts a room and starts a conversation.