11 – 27 May 2024
Confessions of a still life painter
I have a confession to make ...it’s getting harder. I’m not sure whether it’s my advancing years, my eyes still work and my hand is steady, they just seem to take longer. Of course it could be the fact that Marion continues to find more difficult subjects to paint; come on Marion, seven bloomin’ silver jugs, it drove me crackers. All those reflections within reflections and then there are all the selfies, I’ll let you count them.
I do seem to use more of the tiniest brushes, I know because the ‘Flintstones’ mug of worn out brushes is full. This time round I’ve chosen an awful lot of silver (I think I’m finally getting the hang of it) and silver seems to require many more tiny brush strokes. It also means my bald pate appears in almost every painting, not something everyone wants but if I’m reflected it’s part of creating the illusion.
My thanks as usual to Marion for her constant support and to Karen and Niki for continuing to have faith in me. I do hope you enjoy the show, I’m still enjoying painting them and despite the level of difficulty I have no intention of laying my brushes down yet.
We are absolutely delighted that eminent art critic Anthony J. Lester would like to say a few words to introduce Tim’s collection...
Anthony J. Lester FRBA, FRSA
After more than 50 years involvement in the art world, I am frequently unenthused by the bulk of the hundreds of contemporary works of art I evaluate each year. Some will say I have merely become staid and cynical in my senior years. I believe not, perhaps just more demanding!
However, there is one remarkable artist who has consistently delivered the ‘wow’ factor to me – the prodigious Tim Gustard. I first encountered his work in 2005 at the 118th Annual Exhibition of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters. I distinctly remember standing in front of his two paintings –Champagne and strawberries and A little nightcap – and my first thought was “wow, mind-blowing”. Over the subsequent years I have been exhilarated to see his meticulous paintings at prestigious shows such as the Royal Academy and the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours.
I have always held the view that great talent cannot be taught, it is an inborn aptitude. Child prodigies such as Chopin, Beethoven, Yehudi Menuhin and Pablo Picasso might have received encouragement and even some training, but they were all blessed with a significant virtuosity in their individual proficiencies. Gustard started to draw pictures very early, by the age of six he had conquered perspective and by the age of seventeen his artistic talent was such that he was selling his creations for up to £50 – the equivalent of nearly £900 today.
Since then, his artistic creativity and status has blossomed and today he is acknowledged as a master of still life painting. Comparisons to other artists, such as Jean Siméon
Chardin, have been made but Gustard has developed a decidedly distinctive style that is intensely personal. His studio is a cornucopia of eye-catching silver, porcelain and glass which he thoughtfully arranges to capture in paint.
Typical is Old greybeard featuring an elegant Chinese Kangxi period blue and white baluster vase set against appropriate oriental-style wallpaper. Afternoon treat has items from the 18th century to an enticing chocolate –surely, the real treat is gazing in awe upon the painting’s consummate draughtsmanship. A recurring trademark is Gustard’s own reflection encapsulated in the surface of silver items – a superlative example being The magnificent 7. Yes, even the idiosyncratic titles are ingeniously thought out.
At the heart of every one of Gustard’s paintings is a seriousness of purpose and unwillingness to compromise, which results in compositions of great integrity, sophistication and beauty. By their very nature solo shows inevitably have the occasional lack-lustre works, however, perambulate this exhibition and you discover every creation is vested with an equal measure of outstanding artistic merit. This is a rare show indeed, and at a time when the ‘establishment’ claim ‘anything can be art’, it is also reassuring. Thank you Mr. Gustard for giving me the ‘wow’ factor.’
Anthony J. Lester, FRBA, FRSA
Art critic and author. International Association of Art Critics : The Critics’ Circle
1. Afternoon treat
26 x 34cm
Acrylic on paper
When I don’t know what to paint next I turn to my little red book. Every time we have an idea or simply a title I write it down, I look through the book and suddenly the title becomes an idea. I began with the chocolates and then I arranged everything around them until I had a complete composition.
2. Oh glorious Spring
13.5 x 9.5cm
Acrylic on panel
I can’t resist painting these stunning wee flowers. The little bulbs have spread all over one corner of the garden and the flowers fight their way up through the moss and ivy that seems to take over in the winter.
3. Spotted white lady
22.5 x 12cm
Acrylic on panel
This is a pretty new hellebore I planted last year. It’s not as strong as some of the others in white and various shades of purple but a very cheery sight nonetheless at the end of winter just as the snowdrops are finishing.
4. From my own little valley
18 x 11.5cm
Acrylic on paper
Another garden favourite are the Lily of the Valley. But I must admit to having to spray half of them with weed killer last year lest they take over. They are a great subject, they keep still while I paint them.
5. Olives and a corkscrew
31 x 26cm
Acrylic on panel
First time painting this fruit wood corkscrew, there’s a lovely shine to it from years of use and it goes perfectly with the overlaid decanter, probably the most complicated subject to paint but so satisfying.
6. One more strawberry
27.5 x 17cm
Acrylic on panel
No show is complete without one or two strawberry paintings. This one includes a favourite bowl by the early 20th century German company WMF. They made a variety of plated Art Nouveau objects including some amazing decanters which command huge prices.
7. Tea with the Georgians
20 x 26.5cm
Acrylic on paper
I always thought the Georgians locked up their tea because it was so expensive, not so with this Worcester tea caddy from the Chamberlain factory. Accompanying it are two slightly earlier pieces and a modern knife.
8. The awkward orchid
33 x 18.5cm
Acrylic on paper
It’s always rather daunting starting to paint a living, moving subject. It was such a tall stem I had to cut it from the pot and put it in water…..orchids don’t seem to like that. After two days it started to protest and I had to work every hour of the day to complete it.
9. A little water with it
17 x 21cm
Acrylic on paper
This is my favourite malt Dalwhinnie. It is the most elevated distillery in the Highlands, last time I was there it was mid May and there was a snowstorm that turned the A9 white. The whisky ‘tot’ to the right is a beautiful Edwardian one, handmade glass topped with silver.
10. Old greybeard
37.5 x 27.5cm
Acrylic on panel
The oriental wallpaper makes for a different background to set the porcelain against. Once I had finished I was lost for a title, Marion took one look at my white beard reflecting in the silver and declared ‘Old greybeard’
11. So pleased you asked me
34 x 25cm
Acrylic on paper
It’s really refreshing when a client asks for something special and is on my wavelength. Often it can be a request for a copy of an earlier work which is just wrong, or to include a totally inappropriate personal item. The very nature of the still life is that I use favourite elements and use them in several works and indeed this particular painting began with the most important element the decanter and my favourite too. The collector then selected all the most appropriate items to accompany it, I couldn’t have chosen better myself.
12. Spring is just around the corner 20.5 x 14cm
Acrylic on paper
I can’t resist snowdrops; the garden is full of them. The way they keel over after a sharp frost then stand erect when the sun warms them up, nodding defiantly as the strong northerly threatens to flatten them.
13. Étoile violette
20 x 13cm
Acrylic on paper
Another genus of flowering plants I have always loved are the various clematis. This one is so vigorous throwing up multiple stems every year and clinging to everything within its grasp. Just outside the studio door it just begged to be painted.
14. Ready for a dip
15 x 10cm
Acrylic on panel
This was the first time I painted this lovely silver jug, so I positioned the strawberry which is ready to be dipped in the cream, so that it reflected multiple times in the shiny surface.
15. Four and twenty 37 x 47cm
Acrylic on paper
Some time ago we visited our favourite restaurant in Penrith, it’s called ‘Four and Twenty’ and we were rather taken with the napkins. I asked if I could buy one of each colour, they gave me three free of charge. Naturally we left a generous tip.
17. The three little figs 9.5 x 14.5cm
Acrylic on panel
Sorry for the pun but when I saw them in the supermarket I came up with the title straight away; surprisingly hard to get the colours just right.
16. Poetry please
18 x 27cm
Acrylic on paper
My godmother Aunt Joyce used to like me to read Kipling to her. She often bought me books of poetry for Christmas and Kipling would be my favourite. In the Terry Wogan days I wrote quite a lot of poems, not the type Kipling would write more a cross between Pam Ayers and Stanley Holloway.
18. Georgian glass and claret
29 x 20.5cm Acrylic on paper
This lovely silver bowl is a new purchase, made by Walker and Hall, I don’t know if it’s a large bon-bon dish or a small fruit dish. The decanter is a late Georgian one, beautifully blown with a perfect pontil mark on the base where the craftsman cut the finished article from the blowing rod.
19. The magnificent 7 20
So Marion suggested I paint my 7 favourite silver jugs and call it ‘The magnificent 7’. What one doesn’t realise when starting is that every jug has jugs reflected in it and within those reflections is reflected the same jug one is painting. Talk about confusing, at the end of every day my head was spinning and after 23.5 long consecutive days I finished it.
x 41cm
Acrylic on paper
20. Ready for take off
15.5 x 24cm
Acrylic on paper
When I saw these little apples they took me back to my childhood. My maternal grandfather was a market gardener, a specialist chrysanthemum grower. He also had an orchard and marketed the apples but in the middle was a small tree that produced small red apples and they were never picked so I ate them, they were sweet and crisp, I guess the tree was the pollinator. As for the title, a play on words in many ways, the apples are a variety called Rockit, originating in New Zealand but these were grown in Kent.
21. Winter white
22.5 x 15.5cm
Acrylic on panel
The hellebores do really well in our garden but I’ve always struggled to grow helleborus niger, the Christmas rose, it comes up rather weakly. This is a different white hellebore and provides a much better display.
22. Strawberries and cream... of course
21.5 x 16.5cm
Acrylic on paper
Once the spring strawberries start to appear I can’t wait to get them in a painting. Often the simplest arrangements are the most pleasing and that splash of bright red gives the painting a real zing and pulls the eye in.
23. Tasting notes
28.5 x 20cm
Acrylic on paper
Always a favourite decanter to paint; again it was a title I had in my little book; I just needed to put it together. I had a silver French tasting bowl in it originally but senior management said it didn’t work so I took it out before starting.
24. Mother’s Day
24 x 24cm
Acrylic on paper
When I was young (in case you spring chickens are wondering, yes it was the middle of the last century) on Mother’s Day we were expected to help mum in all that she did around the home and we also biked out (no car in those days) with my father to the local woods to collect daffodils and snowdrops for a posy.
how to purchase
The paintings will be released for sale by telephone only at 6.30pm on Friday 10th May.
Paintings are then available to purchase from 10am Saturday 11th May when the exhibition officially opens
• by visiting the gallery in person
• by telephoning 01768 483601
• by emailing enquiries@beckstonesartgallery.co.uk
We regret that paintings cannot be held on reserve for approval.
All paintings are in acrylic. Sizes shown are in centimetres and give the dimensions of the actual image excluding the frame.
The exhibition runs from:
10am on Saturday 11th May to 5pm Monday 27th May 2024.
The full catalogue can also be viewed nearer the date online at: beckstonesartgallery.co.uk
Please note that paintings are not available to purchase until 6.30pm Friday 10 May.
1. Afternoon treat // 2. Oh glorious Spring // 3. Spotted white lady // 4. From my own little valley // 5. Olives and a corkscrew // 6. One more strawberry // 7. Tea with the Georgians // 8. The awkward orchid 9. A little water with it // 10. Old greybeard // 11. So pleased you asked me // 12. Spring is just around the corner // 13. Étoile violette // 14. Ready for a dip // 15. Four and twenty // 16. Poetry please 17. The three little figs // 18. Georgian glass and claret // 19. The magnificent 7 // 20. Ready for take off // 21. Winter white // 22. Strawberries and cream... of course // 23. Tasting notes // 24. Mother’s Day
Beckstones Art Gallery
Greystoke Ghyll, Nr. Penrith, Cumbria CA11 0UQ
Tel: 01768 483601 · beckstonesartgallery.co.uk