Visitors to The Drang Art Gallery in Salcombe were treated to a burst of colour and character as artist duo Charles Hollywood brought their playful, thought-provoking penguin paintings to the South Hams. The exhibition, which closed on 2 November, proved an instant success - with a painting sold before the show and “at least 40 per cent of the new works” snapped up within days.

For the two brothers behind the pseudonym, the weekend was about more than sales. “It’s just lovely to meet everyone,” they said. “Everyone was so friendly. The town is fantastic. Everything is just a lot prettier down where you guys are - and sunnier!”

The pair, based in Darlington near Newcastle, spent the launch weekend in and out of the gallery, chatting with locals and exploring Salcombe’s streets and pubs. “Everyone at the exhibition wanted to meet us, which was nice as well,” they said. “We got a few contacts and a few pictures with the locals - we had a good time.”

Their paintings - bold, text-based works inspired by the classic design of vintage Penguin books - have become a signature of the duo’s style. “It’s paint on acrylic canvas, a series of painting over layers on layers,” they explained. “To someone who doesn’t really appreciate art, they’ll just see a bit of blue at the top, a bit of cream in the middle and some text - but if you go into it, you’re consumed by the paint.”

While they credit artist Harland Miller as an influence, Charles Hollywood have evolved the style into something distinctly their own. “If you were to put a Harlan Miller next to ours, you would see they’re quite clearly painted by different people. What we do is an evolved form of Harlan Miller - that’s how we’ve created our little niche.”

Their titles - a blend of humour and philosophy - are carefully chosen. “You’ll see titles in the gallery like Never Fear a Storm - Learn to Dance in the Rain, She Sells Seashells along the Salcombe Shore, and Fortune Favours the Brave,” they said. “We throw a few quirky ones in there too, like The Liar, the Bitch and the Walk-in Wardrobe.”

The story behind Charles Hollywood began during lockdown, when the two ex-sportsmen found themselves grounded from travel and competition. “We were raised in a family where you can’t just sit about and do nothing,” they said. “We painted two really small paintings to start off with and put them on Facebook and a lovely guy bought them. That spark took off for us.”

Now, three and a half years since going full-time, they are “slammed with commissions” and grateful for the support. “The [Salcombe] people were fantastic,” they said. “The town is just something we’re not accustomed to here. It’s a way of life that I could quite happily be a part of.”

They’re already planning a return - an exhibition in Padstow before the end of the year could see them come back to Salcombe. “Any invite - we’ll be there 100 per cent.”

Going forward, the brothers want to step aware from their signature style, “We'd like to introduce new characters. The on-brand messaging will always be there but we can do it via a different route with character design to show we’re not just a one-trick pony.”