Tom is a hotelier in Northampton who owns this beautifully framed painting, he has shared his story on how he bought it -

 

"I was opening a small hotel back around 1990 in an old Victorian house in Northampton which I still own, although it is no longer open for short term guests I do have tenants here.

I was looking at the time for some items of interest as I had lots of wall space and this unframed painting caught my eye in a shop in Northampton called would you believe "Grandad's attic!" I bought it with some other items a water color and some odd ornaments. I decided to hang it in my own part of the house where it still is.

I have enjoyed it over the years and I find it quite haunting, if I may say so, with the mine at the front with the gaping mouth, silent of its stories of times gone by, the detail in the foreground of the landscape and the building behind giving good perspective.

I literally just came across your site as I had google'd Robert Ixer." Interested?

Well we found this rare gem of a painting which belongs to Bob from New Zealand. Here's an interesting account of Bob's interaction with Robert Ixer and how the painting came to life - 

"I commissioned Robert to do this painting in 1995 from a photograph I had taken for historic reasons. Because the scene faces South East I took the photo 5-30am on a mid summers morning, (on my way surfing) to get the only time these buildings saw the sunlight and get light right. The wharf I took the photo from has now been heavily commercially built on and some the harbour filled in and the Custom House building demolished.

I live in Hamilton and at the time your folks lived up the Otaki Gorge  Rd. Interesting side story was that I contacted Robert and he suggested I call in and see progress. So I traveled all the way down there only to be told he did not like what he had painted and had scrapped all the paint off and felt he could not do the painting. After a lot encouragement from his wife, Robert undertook to give it another go but insisted he wanted to add a ship that was not in my photo. I felt I had to give some artistic licence, as I know from personal experience, doing art for someone on a subject you have no feel for is very difficult. ( I remember seeing lots of dogs and other animals but not you!)
My only stipulation it had to be a ship that would have frequenting Wellington Harbour about the time Custom House was built 1890.
 On the back of the painting in Roberts hand writing is the name of the ship he chose,"The Immigrant Ship - 'The St Leanard'
The result I feel is a fine historical scene capturing the early morning light, the historic building, and the tranquility of the harbour."

We got Julie writing to us from the UK she has inherited a beautiful horse on velvet painting she says -

"The painting belonged to my late Grand Father Eric Bellamy who lived in Grantham. My grandad was born in  26th March 1921 at Sproxton, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire as a child I always remember the painting being above the fire place at their home at Cornwall Close in Grantham. 

My grandad loved horse racing and horses. As a child Grand National day was always a day of great excitement as I would get a phone call from my grandad to choose which horse I wanted for the national and he would put a bet on for me. We had some winners West Tip and Bob Champions Old Aldaniti being some of the horses that had won.  The painting was given as a present to my grandad by my nan Betty Bellamy who still lives in Grantham today. Unfortunately my Nan suffered a Stroke in August 2012 and when her flat was cleaned out the painting was given to me. I love the painting as I have a love of horses, but more importantly it reminds me of my nan and grandad and the happy times we shared at their home as a child. As my nan will be 90 in August this year and is currently in a nursing home, my mum is going to try and find out where she got the painting from."

Hi again everybody, Peter filled in from Kent with this velvet painting by Robert done in - 

"I lived in St Mawgan just outside Newquay in 1979. Moved back to London but visited with my wife and at that time one son (soon became two). Life was tough then - but years of hard labour! corrected that.  In 1981 I saw an Ixer on Velvet of Newquay Island, and just had to buy it. It was on sale in the Newquay Gallery if I remember correctly, at a cost of £45. The suspension bridge had always fascinated me and this picture seemed to capture it very well. Oil on velvet was a new concept to me: but I loved it. I discussed the picture with my wife and we went back the next day and spent the £45 on purchasing it. This was a lot of money for us at the time! But I have never resented a penny of it. I still look and admire the picture. My wife loved it too - although I lost her in 1998. Having read that Ixer prices had risen since I bought this I thought I'd better insure it. In addition I'd like to know how many Robert did of the island, and did he do any other local landscapes that could be considered as a companion picture?"

Well, Pete, sorry to hear about your wife, Rob has rarely done Newquay Island I think but sure has  few many landscapes..

One of Roberts rarer artworks that contain no buildings please enjoy the short right up from Mr G.W ,,,,,,,it having been up on the wall in our house all the way through my childhood. My parents, sibling and I used to holiday in Cornwall every year alternating between Newquay and St. Ives and this went on throughout the '70s and well into the '80s until the attractions of foreign holidays took over. They don't accurately recall the year that they purchased it other than that it was in the early to mid '70s and they think that they purchased it in St. Ives (although as the decades have passed, so has the memory detail and it may well have been Newquay). I have faint memories of driving back to Cheshire, a full days drive at that time, with the picture covered and wedged between my brother and I who were in our early teens. Playing 'i-spy', a popular travelling game in those days, the letter 'P' for painting came up so many times that it became a long standing family joke. Once home it went straight up onto the wall in the lounge where it was enjoyed for many years; about 40, occasionally being moved into different rooms but always in a place of prominence.