Darle and the Bear, the much loved Woodstock gallery, may be closing for good, but it’s going out on a high with Oxford artist Tim Steward‘s ‘Tregardock And The Atlantic Coast’ exhibition.
Tim has spent the last six winters living by the North Cornish coast, immersing himself in the beauty and elemental forces of Tregardock Beach.
Inspired by the movement of the sea, wind and changing light there, he has sought to capture the beach’s changing moments as they present themselves, through scratched marks of charred wood, swathes of thick oil, paint, pastel, sand and seawater.
‘we would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported us at darle and the bear’
“Working outside in all weathers at Tregardock has been exhilarating at times and at others I have felt like a crazed individual, blown sideways and washed away in a torrent of rain,” he laughs.
“Sometimes I wouldn’t even make it down to the cliffs, but find myself mixing paints furiously to try and capture the colour of the sea. Other times my work is washed away as I unsuccessfully try to evade an advancing rain front. Irrespective, these moments nearly always become something, and over time they form the very marrow of my work,” Tim explains.
“You can’t formulate that and I have learnt it all serves a purpose. The work is visceral and spontaneous as a result, the way I see and feel has evolved, and my attachment to the land has deepened,” he adds.
Part 2 of Tim’s journey (his first Cornish exhibition was at Darle in November 2021 with his wife Mary Chamberlain READ ABOUT IT HERE) – the 25 works of Tregardock Beach, all of which are for sale, are now even more abstract, colourful and large than before.
“The connection to specific places, and the desire to understand them has always been a voyage of discovery for me. So at the juncture between crashing waves and beach there is a feeling of complete absorption which only heightens this process of connection,” he concludes.
And while Tim has curated the ‘Tregardock and the Atlantic Coast’ exhibition himself, it marks the last show for Darle and the Bear.
The wonderful gallery opened in Woodstock in 2019 and has brought us so much joy over the years READ ABOUT IT HERE. Its owner Julie Wiggs will instead be concentrating on her own painting and splitting her time between Dubai and The Cotswolds.
Julie adds: “Darle and the Bear is thrilled to have Tim Steward’s solo show as our final exhibition. We close our doors on December 3 to start the next leg of our journey after four amazing years in Woodstock, where our eclectic gallery has hosted a multitude of exhibitions and artists. It has been an amazing experience, and we have loved meeting so many lovely visitors.
“We feel now is the time to go on the road, and while we look for a new place to open we would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported us. We are very humbled that we have gained such an audience of supporters.”
But hurry because TREGARDOCK AND THE ATLANTIC COAST: TIM STEWARD only runs until Sunday November 26 and after that you can make an appointment to see it until Dec 3. MORE DETAILS HERE
