The Lamorna Stream

Denys Maurice Orlando Prideaux Law (1907 – 1981)

Oil on board. Signed.

15” x 19½” (38.1 cm x 49.5 cm)

Denys Law was born in Berkshire, the son of an architect, and spent some of his childhood living in Quimper in Brittany. His mother, a keen amateur artist, encouraged his interest in painting. After the War, he moved to Lamorna in the far west of Cornwall, where his sister was the landlady of the famous Wink public house, a popular rendezvous for the artists of the Valley. Here, Law took up painting as a profession, supplementing his income with a variety of jobs, including fishing, furniture making, copperwork and wood carving. His painting was influenced by Samuel John Lamorna Birch and Stanley Gardiner, two of the leading artistic figures at Lamorna. Law could often be seen in the village making sketches, which he would then use in his studio to compose his paintings. Working mainly in oils, he depicted the stream, woods and cottages of the Lamorna Valley in all seasons, as well as the Cornish headlands and boats off the coast. For many years, he was Chairman of The Newlyn Society of Artists and Deputy Chairman of The St. Ives Society of Artists.