Sarah Garforth, a renowned artist whose work has taken her to Peru, India, Ireland and back to her roots in the Yorkshire Dales, launches a new exhibition inspired by the landscape of her home in Nidderdale.
Walking the Landscape: The Nidd’s Source and Early Journey opens at Number 6 Studio Gallery, Pateley Bridge on 22 October 2017. The exhibition is the culmination of a commission by Nidderdale Visual Arts as part of the Upper Nidderdale Landscape Partnership, with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Sarah, 45, honed her craft at York College of Arts and Technology and the University of Northumbria and has been a successful artist since her early twenties capturing the essence of her travels in paint and pastel.
Sarah said:
All my work starts on a walk. I have walked all over the world as an artist, but there is nowhere quite like Nidderdale, which has been the heart of my work for the past decade. My family lived in Ramsgill for over a hundred years before I moved here, it’s part of the fabric of my identity, so it was a privilege to immerse myself so completely in the rivers, reservoirs and wildlife of Upper Nidderdale.
Sarah’s great Uncle, Stephen Dennison, who lived at Ramsgill, was also an acclaimed artist.
The exhibition of 20 prints traces the journey of the source of the Nidd at Great Whernside over ten miles back to Sarah’s home in Ramsgill. It showcases Gouthwaite reservoir, Scar House and the lost village of Lodge, as well as birdlife from kingfishers to oystercatchers. Her work uses special screen print and solar plate techniques, using natural light as part of the print making process. This has been a new technique to Sarah’s artistic practice which this commission has allowed her time to develop.
Biddy Noakes, of Nidderdale Visual Arts, said:
Walking the Landscape is the third of four specially commissioned ‘education through art and craft’ projects focussing on different aspects of our Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Sarah has been running workshops with adults and young people to develop an active engagement with the landscape. All artists were chosen via a competitive process and previous projects have concentrated on the importance of the hay meadows and the geology of the area. Sarah’s work stunningly captures the essence of Nidderdale, which is rightly a sought after location, and inspiration, for many great artists.
Iain Mann, Scheme Manager of the Upper Nidderdale Landscape Partnership, said:
Our mission is to encourage people to get out, appreciate, enjoy and also safeguard our natural heritage and wildlife. This exhibition truly celebrates the diverse beauty on our doorstep. Art and nature go hand in hand, and we hope Sarah’s magnificent exhibition will inspire people to experience the beauty for themselves.
A special preview takes place on Sunday 22 October 2017, 6-9pm, with wine and canapes and a chance to meet the artist.
Walking the Landscape will be at the Number 6 Studio Gallery, Pateley Bridge, from 22-29 October 2017, 10am-5pm.
