Sid Beynon

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About me

He was riding a bicycle along Hastings seafront when the word, "Paul", picked out in brown pebbles on the beach caught his attention; from that moment his imagination was fired. He began to experiment with his own designs with stones on the beach and a natural, artistic talent emerged. In his untutored hands the sea-smoothed pebbles, grey/blue, brown, red, white, and black, were formed into temporary pictures of sea creatures, wild animals, historical and legendary characters and mystical symbols. As he worked he was oblivious to the fact that he was being watched as a figure of some interest. Local resident Rosemary Chennery, who dabbles in art, suggested he should apply for an Arts Foundation Course. Sid was accepted at Hastings College of Arts and Technology and he began the Foundation Course in August 1998. Here he nervously began to draw for the first time, inspired as Sid says, " by great tutors". During this period Sid continued to produce beach art, by then in the company of two friends, Jamie Stapely and Paul Garrett. His work became more complex and he built up a repertoire of designs, gaining a reputation as a beach entertainer. Crowds gathered to watch his work take shape, children joined him to imitate his creations and some onlookers threw down coins in appreciation. Along with his growing interest in beach art Sid began to develop a new personal philosophy. The timeless quality of the beach has influenced him and as he speaks about his creative environment you can sense that for him it is a living entity. With time the difficulties of his earlier life fell into perspective; tolerance and calm now pervaded his thinking. One of his most treasured possessions is a scruffy exercise book, which he hangs on the promenade railings so that his audience can write comments on his work. It is filled with warm praise for his pictures from local people and visitors from all over the world. Sid has struck up a special rapport with Hastings' young skateboarders and BMX riders, who use the cycle track on the promenade and he often makes a pebble re-creation of the logo of their favourite seafront supply shop, "Backyard". Asked how he feels about the vandals who occasionally demolish his work he says that he thinks it is better that they vent their frustration on beach stones rather than on people or valuable possessions. In 1999, Sid was accepted as a student at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, and completed a three-year course for a BA Honours in Fine Art. He is now working with other materials and the natural talent he uses with pebbles is being expanded in other fields. Sid's increasing understanding of artistic styles has influenced him considerably and one of his favourite artists is Marcel Duchamp because of his use of diverse creative materials. The value of his work is becoming recognised, particularly as a route into design for would-be artists of all ages, but especially for children. He has already participated several times as an outdoor artist in the Rother Community Summertime Arts programme. His enthusiasm and modest approach to his work make him the perfect tutor for children or students who lack artistic experience. Sid Beynon and Jamie Stapely are considering asking Hastings Borough Council for permission to create by the lifeboat house a permanent pebble mosaic of the RNLI flag, which will be visible from the summit of Hastings Castle cliffs. We hope HBC will be wise enough to take up this generous offer, which will also serve as a fitting symbol of Hastings' reputation for nurturing new artistic talent.'