For the best in Mountain Adventure, Environment and Culture
We have three exhibitions this year, with work by Lucy Dunnett, Stuart Holmes and Dina Mufti. Scroll down to find out about them and their work.
Lucy Dunnett is exhibiting a series of paintings inspired by the view from Mont Fort, Switzerland, the highest peak in the Verbier region.
“At 3330m and situated in the heart of the Alps, Mont Fort is one of those peaks where the view consists of nothing but mountain peaks all around you for a full 360°. You are looking at three different countries – Switzerland, France and Italy, yet when you look at the view you completely forget that there is a world down there, hidden from view in the valleys – villages, towns, cities, cars, TVs, people…
The mountains featured in this exhibition are all visible from the top of Mont Fort. Some of them are famous peaks, and some are not so well known, but are special to me. All the paintings are from different viewpoints and are based on photos taken throughout the year. I hope you enjoy them.”
Lucy Dunnett - Bio
Originally from Lincolnshire, painter Lucy Dunnett studied Illustration at Falmouth College of Arts, Cornwall, graduating in 2002. The following year she escaped to the Alps to do a ski season and she now lives and paints year round in Verbier, Switzerland.
“I love the way the light, the weather and the seasons constantly transform the mountain landscape. Particularly those moments when something interesting happens with the colours and the shadows, and you know that the scene unfolding before you will never look the same again. These are the views I love to paint.”
Whether out hiking, climbing, snowboarding or ski–touring, Lucy always ventures into the mountains with a camera, and her work is inspired by her own photographs. Every painting has a story.
After sketching a composition, Lucy paints with acrylics on wood, building up several layers to create the final picture. The natural texture of the wood grain can be seen through the layers of paint, giving an extra dimension to the finished piece.
“I hope that when people look at my work they get to share some of my experiences and adventures, and above all, my love and passion for the mountains.”
Lucy has recently exhibited her work at the Musée de Bagnes, Le Châble, Switzerland and Nanuq Gallery, Verbier, Switzerland. The Kendal Mountain Festival will be Lucy’s first exhibition in the UK since 2002.
To find out more about Lucy's work click here
Who The Hell is Ice Nine? The work of Stuart Holmes
"Was wondering...when was the last time someone had 23 outta 24 top pics by votes?" asked Padraig in the UK Climbing forums, about this mysterious talent who had uploaded a diverse range of landscape and action photographs from Canada to Everest to the Lake District.
My name is Stuart Holmes, I am 45 and a bit years old and I enjoy having adventures. Until recently I worked as an exploration geologist which involved exploring in remote locations worldwide. The job gave me lots of time off to go climbing, paragliding and generally larking around in the hills. During this time I was also taking and selling landscape and adventure sports photographs for galleries and various magazines (e.g., an article on Canadian ice climbing for Mayfair!!!). In 2009 I packed in the geology ‘day job’ to concentrate on photography and spend more time at home in the Lakes.
My photographic interest started with my first camera at the age of 11. A few years later I took a film SLR - an Olympus OM10 - on my first climbing trip to Chamonix in 1986. I made a solo ascent of Mt. Blanc up the Gouter Route, arriving at the summit at 7am to be greeted by the most fantastic panorama I had ever seen. The light was orange with the low sun casting long shadows of the tops of clouds far below me. I snapped away like a man possessed and was thankful I had made the effort of carrying a good camera. I’ve carried a camera on adventures ever since.
Recent adventurous highlights include a sailing/climbing trip to the incredible island of South Georgia, climbing Everest from Tibet with a bunch of mates in 2005 and in November 2009 flying a Yak (a mini paraglider!) from the summit of Ama Dablam, landing back at Base Camp just 10 exciting minutes later.
Dina Mufti - Human Planet Mountains: What Happens in Between
With a Bengali – English background, Dina spent her childhood surrounded by colourful characters on her grandfather’s veranda, taking snaps of his eclectic visitors and imagining their stories. From that veranda she dreamt of a life in the Himalaya just so she could meet the characters who lived there.
Instead she found herself at the BBC where she has worked across a range of television and radio documentaries including the award winning ‘Human Planet’. Along the way she has shared the tales of some remarkable characters, earning her a BBC award for creativity – which she dedicates to those characters and their families.
‘What Happens in Between’ is a response to the question Dina was most asked about her time on location with the ‘Human Planet Mountains’ programme. It is a collection of scenes taken mainly with the Leica D-Lux 4 when the film cameras stopped rolling and the characters were at play ... all shot through the eye of her time on the veranda.
