Toby Ray
Artists & Illustrators|August 2017

The Surf Artist Has Turned an Ice-cream Hut on the North Cornish Coast Into a Cliff-top Studio and Gallery.

Alice Wright
Toby Ray

How did your unusual studio come about?

I came for a walk in 2015 and saw this old ice-cream hut. It’s owned by the Treyarnon Bay Youth Hostel next door. I spoke to the manager about it and he asked if I wanted to use it. I opened in February 2016 for a test run until Easter. It went well, so we worked out a deal. I give a percentage of takings to Breaks for Kids, which is run by YHA to help children from disadvantaged backgrounds. I’ve renovated and it’s now known as the Art Shack. It’s rustic and keeps needing new paint jobs because it’s open to the elements.

You also have a studio in your garden at home. What are the benefits of working at the Art Shack?

It’s allowed me to paint more and, because I’m here and everything’s on show, I can make money at the same time as being productive. And, if no-one’s here to buy, it doesn’t matter because I’m still doing what I’d be doing at home in my garden studio but in a much better location.

This story is from the August 2017 edition of Artists & Illustrators.

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This story is from the August 2017 edition of Artists & Illustrators.

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