Bedruthen Steps II, Near Padstowe, Cornwall, England

A gift from the artist to the present Private Collection, Ontario

Margaret Gray, Margaret Rand and Lois Stein, Charles Comfort: Canadian Artists 2, Ontario, 1976, page 64

While serving as a war artist during the Second World War, Comfort was first stationed in England in the early 1940s. He depicted scenes in West Sussex at Selsey and later in Cornwall, where he produced a number of oil sketches of the historical landscapes. This artwork is a preliminary sketch of the completed canvas, The Cornish Coast completed by the artist in 1974. Importantly, the final canvas deviates little from the preliminary panel, with both works giving prominence to the rugged natural beauty of the coastline while capturing the unique detailed texture of the granite forms. Photocopies of two letters from Charles and Louise Comfort, discussing this artwork as a late wedding present to the recipient, accompany this artwork.