From Athens to Exmoor

When Hilary Adair moved from Athens to Exmoor she was surprised by how similar the two places really were, she tells TIM SAUNDERS

- TIM SAUNDERS

It was more than 30 years ago that Hilary put her roots down in the county, following a visit to her mother in Winsford, near Dulverton. “This convinced us to move back to England and give our two small children an Exmoor upbringing,” she says.

Hilary met her husband Julian at art school and then relocated to Greece where they lived for 11 years. She had her first solo exhibition there, at the British Council in Athens, which was ‘a virtual sell out’. The couple’s two sons were born there and leaving her life in Greece with its islands and small villages was a wrench for Hilary, but the similarities she discovered in Winsford softened the transition. “The stunning landscape, the kindness of local people, the powerful cloudy cider, an ancient historical context, sheep grazing on moorland, a fete on a specific summer day, church bells and a pub – life is very much the same here.

“The impact of Greece is evident throughout the Western world and to my delight there are many temples, urns and statuary in formal gardens throughout Somerset. There is even a rather perfect Temple of Harmony near Taunton, which has been a source of inspiration, as has the little Doric temple at Hestercombe.”

Finding a cottage in Winsford, the couple borrowed some money to build a studio and lived there for nearly 30 years. Hilary’s painting style changed.

She stopped using acrylic paints better suited for flat areas of colour and the strong light of the Mediterranean. “I started using oils because the softer light on Exmoor was better expressed using this medium.”