An Island Canvas - Art Alfresco on Tresco
Tresco is to become home to an outdoor art exhibition this summer - the first of its kind in the country. Renowned landscape artist, Anthony Garratt, will be capturing our dramatic scenery in situ at four locations across the island. The paintings will then be exhibited at the very spot where they were painted for all to enjoy, exposed to the elements...whatever the weather.
Anthony will start creating the alfresco works at the end of May. Each painting will be up to two and a half metres wide and all of them will remain in their outdoor island gallery until the end of September. Quite literally, they’ll be beautiful landscapes in a beautiful landscape.
Anthony, who is based in Bristol, has been a resident artist on Tresco for five years. Anthony’s art, which takes inspiration from the natural landscape and the weather, has recently featured on a BBC2 art series and BBC1, following an invite to paint live the Queens Jubilee from Millennium Bridge. Anthony’s artwork is also represented by leading institutions, including the acclaimed Thackeray Gallery in London.
Anthony commented: “Having spent a few years studying and painting Tresco’s landscapes, I’m really looking forward to doing something on this scale. Each painting will take about a day and will be created impulsively depending on the weather.”
“Although small, the island has such a varying and fascinating landscape. Tresco’s shoreline is made up of arcs of white sand, whilst inland there is heathland, woodland and lush green pasture which makes for such different paintings.”
Anthony added: “By exhibiting the paintings in the place they were painted, island visitors will each have their own personal experience with the creations. The painting's appearance will change as the light and weather shifts around them, offering a thought-provoking take on the island’s unique microclimate. By taking the paintings directly to the outside, we hope it will help bring art to a new audience, a novel concept which I hope will take on in the next few years across the UK.”
Tresco Island is already home to an extensive art display. The collection, comparable to that of Tate St Ives, is one of the most extensive collections of 20th-century and British modern art connected with Cornwall and Scilly. Guests will find works by the likes of Dame Laura Knight, Alfred Wallis, Mary Fedden and Jack Pender dotted across the island, on display in accommodation and the island's restaurants.
Robert Dorrien-Smith, owner of Tresco island, said: “It is a great opportunity for everyone on Tresco to be part of this exciting outdoor art exhibition project. Art is so deeply rooted in the island that doing an exhibition of this scale was a natural decision. We’re looking forward to seeing Anthony’s large-scale paintings of the island’s beautiful landscapes and are sure they will all become a talking point for both residents and guests to enjoy.”
About Anthony: born in Sevenoaks, Kent, Anthony studied at Chelsea College of Art and then Falmouth College of Arts for a design degree. Having worked as a designer for a few years in London, he was able to take up painting full-time after a couple of successful shows and is now in great demand across the country. Anthony is predominantly a painter of the British landscape. His work is concerned with the weather, an experience and impact of a landscape. His research time is spent in heavy weather in remote locations and places that have an emotional impact. Inspiration comes from the British landscape and ever-changing climate.
Anthony is a regular exhibitor at the Royal West of England Academy, has also shown work at the Royal Academy Summer Shows and the Royal College of Arts Henry Moore Gallery having featured on a recent BBC2 art series.
