Marine House at Beer is showcasing the work of young award-winning artist Octavia Madden.
Octavia won the South West Academy People’s Choice Award at the start of the year following the SWAc Welcome to Reflections 2020 Exhibition.
Based in Ottery St Mary, Octavia was excited to win the coveted prize, voted by the public and supported by Marine House at Beer. For the awards, each artist created a commentary around their work.
This is Octavia’s commentary on ‘Still Life Modern Times 2020’, her award-winning painting: “Still Life Modern Times 2020, captures a sense of time standing still, life being on hold and the lack of hope emphasised by the block of grey and the muted colour palette.
“Set against this is the beauty of the orchid, a house plant growing unaffected by these ‘unprecedented’ times, a reminder that nature transcends human concerns. The orchid flowers are bathed in a golden light, vibrant, symbolising life and hope. The piece is contemplative, serious and evocative, representing a personal artistic response to the crisis.”
As an ongoing award sponsor of the SWAc People’s Choice Award, Marine House at Beer offers winners a yearly prize of £250 and a chance to showcase work in the gallery. So they are are delighted to be showcasing Octavia’s award-winning work alongside several of her other paintings in recognition of her achievement.

Marine House opened its doors for the first time in 1998. The owners, Mike and Rosemary Lambert, had for many years had a holiday cottage in Beer.

The idea of opening an art gallery was not their first thought but that's how it turned out. As they say on the Marine House website: "Perhaps our timing was right, perhaps Beer really did need a gallery, perhaps Marine House had a special magic, but with the style both friendly and informal and the quality of the work exhibited high but sensibly priced, success was achieved from day one – a success which has continued to grow over the years."