Fresh Paint

INSPIRING NEW ARTWORKS, STRAIGHT OFF THE EASEL

ANTHONY GARRATT 

This painting, like the career of the self-taught painter who created it, is the product of an evolution. Inspired by a flooded Sussex river, Floodplain is in fact three paintings that all neared completion before being worked over, leaving only “little reference points” of earlier incarnations peeking out. “I wanted the final piece to have the surface interest of a piece of ceramic, with cracked glazes, colours and textures that sit together,” says Anthony.

He’s an artist who has been exploring his style with a similarly hands-on, trial-and-error practice and, although he’s been painting full-time for eight years, still considers his creative journey to be in its infancy. “My style is continually evolving and I don’t think I’ve ever planned to paint in a particular way,” he says. “My current way of working has evolved out of experimentation and numerous failures without any particular or deliberate reference to genre or preferred style.”

The use of unusual materials that gives Floodplain its textural and narrative intrigue – such as household gloss and iron filings – are a testament to this exploratory approach. The latter he rusts in a controlled way to reveal an interest in geology, heritage and human interaction with the landscape, while the household paint provides him with an unusually even surface. He adds: “By using paints that have an immediate finish – for instance, a white gloss emulsion over an oil paint mixed with a medium or two to achieve the same effect – means I can be impulsive with texture contrast all the way through the painting, without it slowing down in appearance.” Anthony’s latest solo exhibition is at the Thackeray Gallery, London W8, from 10 to 27 October 2017. www.thackeraygallery.com; www.agarratt.com