'Fowey at Low Tide' (c. 1970) belongs to Fred Yates's early Cornish period, when he lived and worked in the harbour town of Fowey. Yates moved there in 1968–69, at the same time making the decisive choice to leave his teaching career and devote himself entirely to painting. For almost two decades he lived in a modest fisherman's cottage on North Street, immersing himself in the rhythms of the harbour and the life of the town before moving west to St Just and Cape Cornwall in Penwith in 1984.

The years Yates spent in Fowey were among the most formative of his career. It was here that he evolved from an art teacher into a confident full-time painter, refining the highly personal visual language for which he became celebrated. Inspired by the working harbour, its fishing boats, quayside cottages and bustling streets, he developed the vibrant palette, expressive brushwork and joyful, unpretentious style that became the hallmark of his work. Fowey at Low Tide, with its solitary boat resting in the harbour before the tightly packed houses climbing the hillside, captures both the distinctive character of the town and Yates's enduring affection for the everyday life of Cornwall. The work is presented in its original hand-painted frame.