Joan Gillchrest moved to the tiny fishing village of Mousehole in Cornwall from London in 1958 where she established herself as one of the foremost naïve artists of her time. The most obvious influences on her work are the St Ives painters Christopher Wood and Alfred Wallis, although her style is quite unique. Her paintings of the Cornish people and their coastline radiate both happiness and humour although her serious concern hardship of Cornish life was bubbling away underneath it all. Joan held very strong views and quietly observed the hardships of the Cornish locals as industry declined; farmers eking out their livings and fisher folk at sea in all weathers, whilst the tourists simply just enjoyed the scenery.