George Rowlett exhibition at Garden Museum

George Rowlett’s joyful and vibrant paintings of garden designer Sarah Price’s garden are to be shown in an exhibition at the Garden Museum, in collaboration with Art Space Gallery.

The exhibition, which runs from 11th June to 4th August, 2019, has 19 paintings created by Rowlett that are rich orchestrations of colour and energy. Rowlett spent 15 days in Sarah’s garden last summer and was able to see the garden with fresh eyes, a new challenge of weather and changing light confronted him en plein air. The paintings have little in the way of botanical details, but through thickly applied paints, Rowlett depicts the feeling of the garden on that day.

Sarah’s Victorian walled garden is the base for her to explore and experiment with her ideas of design and cultivation that have brought her recognition and success. She co-designed the 2010 Gardens at London’s Oympic Park and has won numerous awards including Gold Medals at RHS Chelsea.

Rowlett describes the garden as an “enchanting secluded place with a special atmosphere and light and delicate touch,” and comments that he was thrilled to be in the garden of a young designer with a reputation for an iconoclastic and experimental approach to planting arrangements.

The artist points out that he started each day in the same way, with a prowl round the garden to make a final decision on the exact spot from which to paint: “I use only a vermillion red, lemon yellow, ultramarine blue and titanium white in 5 litre cans which go close to the palette with an array of decorator’s scrapers to mix and apply the paint,” says George.

Sarah Price has established herself as one of the most prominent and sought-after garden designers in Britain. She is contributing editor for Gardens Illustrated and also writes regularly for House and Garden and The Telegraph.

George Rowlett trained at Camberwell and the Royal Academy Schools and has work in public and private collections worldwide. Art Space Gallery/Michael Richardson Contemporary Art, is a commercial gallery specialising in contemporary British and European art.

All the paintings in the exhibition will be for sale. The Garden Museum is housed in the deconsecrated church of St Mary-at-Lambeth, Lambeth Palace Road, London SE1 7LB.

For information on this and future exhibitions please visit: www.gardenmuseum.org.uk

Photo credits: Banner: Hollyhocks, Allium-Stipitatum, fennel, strictly ©of the artist George Rowlett; side: Past-the-hollyhocks, ©George Rowlett; middle: George Rowlett painting in Sarah Price’s garden ©Michael Richardson.