Gareth Williams

We had been doing a lot of travelling before this exhibition and I had been particularly stimulated to sketch while in France and Morocco. In the summer of 2004, because my studio was very new, we decided to hold an exhibition in it (and the garden surrounding it), hence the title of this exhibition. The paintings on display included some on this travel theme, some abstractions and several others on various subjects I had been working on.

I hadn't had time to line and insulate the studio, so I covered the walls with thick brown packing paper which at least took away the deadening effect of the black building paper.

It was a lovely acknowledgement to me that, amongst the several pieces sold, a little watercolour I had done in Morocco sold to the sister of a friend as did a delightful semi-abstracted study of a barn door in France to an ex-colleague.

We had a great time entertaining in the garden as people came and went, had a glass of wine and something to eat, looked at the paintings and said hello. One very dramatic event occurred when two people of rather large build, who knew each other, went to sit on our garden seat together and, in seconds, after a loud cracking noise, found themselves together on the ground. A new garden seat was subsequently purchased!

Open Studio