Introducing the Ta’Torin Gallery

For a long time, the space at the back of the shop was just my studio — the corner where I actually painted. It made sense at the time; it’s an old hardware store, after all, full of odd little rooms with their own character.

But I started to notice something. When people wandered in while I was mid-painting, they’d hover in the doorway, apologise, and back straight out again. They felt like they were interrupting — like they’d walked in on something private rather than something they were welcome to be part of. And that wasn’t the feeling I wanted anyone to have in my space.

So I had an idea: turn it into a proper gallery.

It wasn’t a quick job. Because it’s a listed old building, there’s only so much you’re allowed to change, so my partner James and I found a workaround — big wood boards, put up to give me far more wall space to hang work on without touching the original walls. I ordered proper gallery fittings and hanging systems, the kind that let me move pieces around and rehang the room whenever I like, without ever picking up a drill.

Then came the colour. We painted the whole room a deep, dark teal — partly because I wanted the space to feel clean, fresh and a little more modern, but mostly because that colour does something wonderful against my work. My paintings are bright and colourful and, I hope, quite joyful, and the teal gives them a backdrop to really sing against rather than compete with. A bit of greenery here and there finished the room off.

The difference has been immediate. Since it went up, far more people wander in and have a proper look around than ever did when it was just my studio corner. It seems people needed permission to linger — and now that the room says “gallery” rather than “artist at work,” they take their time.

Inside the newly opened Ta’Torin Gallery

There’s more coming to the space too: I’ve got twenty-one new card designs currently being made, all based on some of my newer paintings, which will be joining the gallery as a lovely little addition once they’re ready.

I’ve also got a small selection of original acrylic on paper paintings in the gallery, for anyone who’d love to own an original Cerisia Ta’Torin but at a more accessible price point.

If you’re ever in Cornwall, do pop in and have a proper look around — that’s exactly what it’s there for now.