oil on canvas, signed, titled verso unframed, as intended

overall size 62cm x 92cm

Note 1: " The next day was onwards up to Mong la then down and across to Phortse now clear of the tree line for a while; Thamserku across the valley behind and Ama Dablam ahead beckoning down the great Khumbu valley towards Everest Base Camp. If ever there was a Shangri La, Phortse might be a contender, it’s a great tongue of land at three and a half thousand meters at the confluence of the two spurs of the Khumbu valley, one flowing down from Cho Oyu, the other from Everest." - James Hawkins In October 2017 James Hawkins accepted an invitation from James Lamb, asking if he would like to go trekking with him in Nepal. "He knew my work as an artist and wondered if I would be interested in making some pictures of Nepal to raise money for his charity The Little Sherpa Foundation. The catalyst for this being the tragic deaths of 16 locals just above Everest base camp in April 2014. This left 16 women and 54 children without a husband or father. For almost all of them, it also meant no income whatsoever. Since the earthquakes in 2015, the charity has expanded to meet the needs of the Sherpa people. As well as offering 50 scholarships per year to young people to enable them to remain in education, employing Sherpa teachers and financially supporting widows, it has helped to have homes rebuilt , also stupas, monasteries, water mills, and the original Edmund Hillary Primary School. Preserving local traditions and the way of life is a key priority for those that live in the Khumbu – the Sherpa homeland. Note 2: Painter and designer, born in Reading, Berkshire, who attended Wimbledon School of Art, 1972–3; West Sussex College of Design, Worthing, 1974–5; and Ruskin School of Drawing, Oxford, 1975–8. Awards and commissions included the Painting Prize at Ruskin, 1976; Painter of the Year, Warwick Arts Trust, 1989; and Glenfiddich Distillery Scottish Art, 1998. In 1986 Hawkins did stage design for The Brahan Seer, Eden Court Theatre, Inverness. Had a series of solo shows, starting with Eden Court, 1983, later ones including A Journey in all Weathers, 1999, and Way Out West, 2003, both with Davies & Tooth at The Air Gallery. As in this show, Hawkins’ work was about Scottish landscape. This he walked and chronicled with his wife Flick, working up in the studio richly coloured, gestural, almost abstract depictions of water and rugged terrain. Sixteen paintings by James Hawkins are held in UK public collections including City Art Centre (Edinburgh). Glasgow Museums, Cambridge University and Durham University. His work is held in private and corporate collections throughout the UK. When The Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) was opened in 1996 the official invitation featured a painting by James Hawkins. He was introduced to HM Queen Elizabeth II and invited her to feel the textured surface of the painting. "She was great, just chatty and open". By the time of the opening GoMA had bought three large James Hawkins paintings.