The past few weeks have been busy with buying a new home and moving in. I was also featured on Artlimes as the featured Artist of the Week that same week!! Things always come in threes and I’ve been lucky enough to also be selected as guest artist for The Art Crowd gallery in Northallerton where my work had been on show for the last month.
Today I finished bringing my art equipment into the new studio. I must say I’m very lucky to now have a space for painting and a separate space for admin (the less messy side of being an artist) So here’s to a new beginning with lots of inspiration from the local landscape and of course my sporting themes.
Since moving to North Yorkshire just as lockdown hit the UK, I have seen so many Garths … At least when people mistakenly call me Gareth, I can now say “Garth, as in the place name”. By definition, a Garth is an enclosed quadrangle or yard. So I’ve come across Goose Garth, Canon Garth, Ayrgarth, Apple Garth, Manor Garth, The Garth, Cock Garth (which sounds like schoolboy slang but has historic origins in cockfighting), and Garth Farm to name a few. This makes my social media name of ArtGarth quite appropriate. I feel this translates as a safe space to make art! Or a studio space to most other people. It must have been destiny when I decided on a name years ago!
This last period has been a very transitional period staying in a rental with no proper studio, but I’ve made do with a trestle table overlooking the bins! My country walks have kept me sane and allowed me to start exploring our new living area and I’m already starting to feel at home. I’ve done a lot more sketching and my sketch book is filling up and I’m now using these quick sketches to turn into paintings at home. It’s a good process as it’s using a combination of memory and the sketch for reference allowing more freedom. I also use some of my photos.
The thing I’m really missing like everyone else is people and I often go for long walks and not see a soul. On other days I want to run away with the overcrowding on the beaches so it’s all a balance. I think the most surreal walks include walking from Runswick Bay to Whitby with runners shooting past at the halfway point with a friendly hello. The walk to the top of Roseberry Topping was surprisingly busy at 10am whereas in many of the paintings thereof you will see no people.
This period has forced a time a reflection and I am now looking forward to a long period of stability and creativity in our new home. My new studio is in Stokesley (North Yorkshire) and I look forward to welcoming you to my Art Garth
Garth
@ArtGarth