Anthony Garratt

Anthony Garratt’s artistic practice is diverse, but rooted in a passion for our relationship with the concept of ‘landscape’.

Recent paintings include energetic, plastic and deliberately over-saturated fictions. They have, in part, evolved out of memories from recent travels but are mostly invented spaces that often include empty, modernist structures, sitting within energetic mark making.

Alongside these colourful fictions sit paintings that are quieter, more meditative and organic in their approach. This contrast in style echoes a fascination with the idea of ‘contrast in landscape’ and the global polarity of our experiences in the landscape.

Much of Garratt’s studio time is spent excited by the action of painting; finding marks and devices which are practiced and evolved before committing them to a more resolved solution. It is this experimentation that stimulates change in the work.

Alongside studio practice, Garratt conceives and produces large scale, award winning public artworks. The public installations are led by a particular subject and evolve out of a passion for collaboration and taking messages to an audience who can ‘encounter’ artwork outdoors.

Garratt has exhibited extensively in both public and commercial galleries, including 18 solo shows to date. His paintings are held in private and corporate collections internationally. Since 2014, he has been a tutor and mentor at the Newlyn School of Art, Cornwall.

“Adventures in paint and explorations of our relationship with landscape.”

6 questions with Anthony Garratt

We ask our emerging artists 6 questions to uncover what drives their work, practice, and creativity.

What themes or questions do you find recurring in your work?

My paintings are very much led by their subject matter, but a unifying theme through the work is an exploration of our relationship with the natural world; questions of weather, foliage, atmosphere and sometimes more specifically, a historical event which leads the work.

Can you describe a pivotal moment in your journey as an artist?

In 2016, a large scale public artwork was launched in Wales. It was not the first time that I had placed work outside the context of a gallery, but given that the subject matter was pertinent to place, and in such a prominent location, it added an extra layer of potential jeopardy, excitement, and unpredictability. It felt a little audacious but the piece was received well and won the Arts and Business Award in Wales for collaboration with a local business who generously sponsored the project. What the experience taught me, more than anything, was that my paintings had to be led more substantially by their subject matter and that I would continue to present large scale interventions alongside my studio practice.

What materials or processes are most important in your practice - and why?

The materials I used in a painting have to be led by the subject matter; for instance, if I was painting something of industry in the landscape, I would use rust, earth, texture and more visceral materials. If I were painting a depiction of water, or foliage the work benefits from using oil paint; firstly in abstract and loose layers, followed by slower marks and thicker paints. It is important that I take a deep dive into the subject matter so that I can build resource material, and practice the kind of mark I hope to achieve in the painting. I spend a great deal of time outdoors; looking, taking notes and photographs.

How do you want people to feel when they experience your work?

I don’t think there is anything wrong with making something beautiful, so some painting I aspire to go some way in communicating the beauty in a simple aspect of nature; whether it be flowing water, foliage on a verge, or a dramatic sea. Conversely some work is questioning of our domestic relationship with nature and how we place ourselves literally, and metaphorically in the landscape, which is where modernist structures begin to appear. The public installations are very much about raising awareness on a particular issue or subject; public art is rather more scarce in the UK than other countries and it has a powerful impact when it appears temporarily and disrupts our visual routine.

What does a typical day in your studio look like?

Honestly, there is no typical day. I have very little structure and have to work when I feel appropriate. I tend to work intensively for a few months and then have fallow periods out of which appear a new subject or interest. I am fortunate to tutor at an Art School which provides a natural break from studio practice.

What dreams or hopes do you have for your artistic journey?

I try not to put too much pressure on a forced aspiration but I do hope to be able to continue my practice as an artist long into old age! As much as music, art is an important part of life to me and as I become more attached to various subjects pertinent to Natural History and the concept of landscape, it will doubtless present many more exciting opportunities.

Anthony Garratt COLLECTION

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