Postcard from Norfolk - Art and commerce

'Morston Reflections' by Trevor Woods

In all my years visiting Norfolk I’ve never been in Big Blue Sky, the distinctive shop that sits on the edge of Wells-next-the-Sea on the road to Cromer. The exterior is distinctive because it’s painted duck-egg blue and because it obviously used to be a petrol station. Petrol stations converted for other use are something of a feature in Wells, which has no petrol station itself (the nearest one is in Burnham market) but two converted ones, one being Big Blue Sky, the other being a funeral directors. Egg shell blue looks better than sombre black as a colour scheme, in case you were wondering.

The shop itself is, as you would expect, full of lovely things and I didn’t manage to get out without buying a tee shirt listing all the wind conditions on the Beaufort Scale. Stylish and practical.

Next to Big Blue Sky is gallery Plus, and sticking my head through the door was something of a revelation. Prints and paintings of London and of Norfiolk filled the walls, all done in a distinctive style, all desirable and all well out of my price range but, wait a moment…postcards!

The chap behind the desk, Trevor Woods, turned out to be the artist who had painted the fabulous pictures and, obviously mistaking me for somebody with money, showed me his latest project, a large canvas of the London skyline. Even at this stage, pencilled but yet to be painted, it looked fabulous, with familiar landmarks emerging from the crowded cityscape. Good job he works fast, as he’s almost able to keep up with the pace of construction on the Shard.