Frank Tyhurst

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Brixham Beamer

Frank has been painting watercolours for over forty years, although his main profession has been civil engineering. His early training included draughtsmanship, graphic design and technical illustration. After thirty years based in Eastbourne, he joined Christchurch Borough Council in 1977 as their Flood and Coastal Defence Manager. Continuing his painting, he was appointed as the Council’s Artist-in-Residence, a sideline to a busy coastal engineering programme. His work hangs in the Civic Centres of all the twin towns of St. Lo, Aalen (Germany), Tatabanya (Hungary) and Christchurch, New Zealand. During this time, Frank found time to contribute to the local Scouts Gang Show and still paints stage scenery on a regular basis today.

Frank left Local Government in 2001 to paint full time as a second career. Having had several one-man exhibitions, he has become well-known in the Wessex area for his atmospheric coastal watercolours. In an expanding career, he joined the Maritime Art Group in 2006, is a keen plein air artist and has contributed to all the MAG exhibitions. He has exhibited with the Royal Society of Marine Artists at the Mall Galleries, London and is a Member of the National Maritime Museum Art Group at Greenwich.

Frank’s background in coastal defence and more particularly, in the associated research, has given him a unique understanding of the sea and all its moods. Both an ex-Royal Navy reservist and life-long “yottie”, Frank is equally at home painting deep sea subjects. Inevitably, he is excited by the Tall Ships, having sailed in one or two of the smaller vessels. Frank now operates a bespoke framing service, paints and teaches from his home studio in Bournemouth.