The landscape is full of paintings.
You just have to learn to see them.

A free collection of abstract crop photographs from Cadgwith, Cornwall, with a short video introduction from David Mankin on how this way of seeing can transform your painting practice.

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Most of us walk through a landscape looking at the big picture,

...the sweep of the horizon, the light on the water, the drama of the sky. And there's beauty in all of that. But the paintings I find most alive often come from somewhere else entirely. From the rust on the hull of a boat. The shadow between two rocks. A tangle of rope caught in the afternoon light.

Abstract crop photography is something I've been doing for years as part of my process, and it's changed the way I see everything. It's not about taking a beautiful photograph. It's about training your eye to find abstraction in the real world - to see shapes, tones, textures and compositions hiding in plain sight.

This collection was made at Cadgwith, a small fishing cove on the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall. It's one of those places that quietly stops you in your tracks. I hope these images do the same for you.

Use them however feels right…as inspiration for a painting, a starting point for a composition, or simply as a way of looking more closely at the world around you.

Sketchbooks by David Mankin featuring abstract landscape studies, colour explorations, and sketches inspired by the Cornwall coastline.

What you'll discover in the guide:

Close-up of ropes and coastal textures used by David Mankin as visual inspiration for abstract landscape painting.

A new way of seeing the landscape

Most of us observe the world from a comfortable distance. This collection invites you closer - into the granular, unexpected details that sit beneath the surface of any landscape. Once you start looking this way, you can't stop.

Colourful fishing boats and harbour equipment in Cornwall, photographed by David Mankin as inspiration for contemporary abstract landscape paintings.

How abstraction hides in ordinary things

A weathered boat hull. A coil of rope. Shadows on stone. The images in this collection aren't composites or constructions - they're exactly what was there. The abstraction is already present. This is about learning to notice it.

Waves crashing against the rocky Cornwall coastline beside a fishing boat, capturing the coastal inspiration behind David Mankin's contemporary abstract landscape paintings.

The connection between photography and painting

David uses abstract photography as an active part of his studio process, not as decoration or reference. These images show you how the lens can become a tool for compositional thinking, helping you move away from representation and towards something more personal.

Close-up of weathered fishing rope and vibrant coastal colours in Cornwall, photographed by David Mankin as inspiration for contemporary abstract landscape paintings.

A sense of place beyond description

Cadgwith is somewhere David has returned to many times. This collection carries the atmosphere of the place - the light, the texture, the particular quality of a Cornish fishing cove in the quieter months. It isn't documentation. It's distillation.

Close-up of a blue fishing boat on the Cornwall shoreline, capturing the coastal colours and textures that inspire David Mankin's contemporary abstract landscape paintings.

A foundation for your own practice

Alongside the photographs, David shares a short introduction explaining his approach to abstract crop photography and how you can apply it wherever you are. You don't need Cornwall. You need curiosity and a phone.

About David Mankin

David Mankin is one of the most respected abstract painters working in Britain today. Based in Cornwall, his richly layered canvases draw on the drama and atmosphere of the landscape - work that has attracted collectors worldwide and earned him ten solo exhibitions over twelve years of professional practice.

His path to painting wasn't straightforward. After 25 years running a graphic design business in London, an opportunity out of the blue to work at a studio in St Ives rekindled something he'd carried since he was a teenager, and he hasn't looked back.

As a teacher, David brings the same honesty, warmth and rigour to sharing his process as he does to his painting. His in-person courses at Coombe Farm Studios sell out consistently, and his online course has drawn artists from across the world.

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Portrait of contemporary abstract landscape artist David Mankin outside his Cornwall art studio, wearing paint-splattered clothes and smiling at the camera.

Photo of a woman standing in a gallery space beside artwork, smiling warmly with paintings and a sculpture displayed around her.

“David Mankin is one of the most compelling abstract painters of his generation.”

“...creating works of intensity and depth inspired by the Cornish landscape. His paintings carry an emotional weight and instil a visceral response - each painting evoking real feelings rather than a casual observation. Through his unique language of paint, he captures the wilds of Cornwall, distilling its essence into something profoundly human. The resultant body of work forms a lasting connection in all who encounter it and I believe his standing in the art world will continue to soar amongst his many collectors around the world’ ”
- Sarah Brittain-Mansbridge MBE, Director, Cornwall Contemporary

The landscape is already full of paintings.

This collection is an invitation to start finding them.

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The landscape is full of paintings. You just have to learn to see them.