Andrew Lanyon

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Andrew Lanyon is a surrealist painter, publisher, author, and film-maker. Born in St. Ives in 1947, he was brought up in West Cornwall where his artistic interests were developed from an early age.

Now a renowned artist, Lanyon exhibits his work across the UK and sells around the globe. His work is in many public and private collections including the Victoria and Albert Collection - London and the Museum of Modern Art - New York. He has published over thirty of his own books and more recently has returned to film.

Although Andrew studied at the London School of Film Technique (1966 - 1968) he did not pursue film again until the early 90's. At this point Andrew felt that digital video technology was able to offer him the freedom and control in film previously o­nly available to the monied.

The first film to be released was Splatt dhe Wertha (Plot for Sale), a Cornish language film directed by Bill Scott. It won the Golden Torc award at the 18th Celtic Film Festival in 1997 and was subsequently broadcast o­n Westcountry Television.

Since then, a number of grants have allowed Andrew to be author, producer, director and cameraman of a rapidly growing number of short films. Notably, South West Arts and Cornwall Film Fund have given him o­ngoing support. Recent productions include Laughing Gas, a feature-length (40mins) film described as a fictitious historical documentary about the spread of laughing gas around the world after Humphrey Davy's discovery of it. At the same time it is a romantic comedy that follows the tale of a hero's fall from fortune and a heroine's rise, of his losing a great estate and of her regaining it - if o­nly it were so simple.

Several films about the Rowleys have sprung from the Rowley books. 'The Harlequin and the Medicine Man' (15mins) is available o­n VHS (PAL) with the book 'Dying for Eternity'.

'A Wood near Madrid or Alfred Wallis - the truth' is a short explanation of how Alfred Wallis crash-landed as a first-world war fighter pilot. There are also several other shorts o­n the video. Available o­n VHS (PAL) for £15.

'Typo' was recently screened at this year's Cornwall Film Festival.