‘Be Free’ (Oil, Acrylic & Mixed Media) 2019
Giles has recently been commissioned to create a bespoke piece for a converted fisherman’s cellars on the Lizard in Cornwall.
Measuring two metres in length ‘Be Free’ creates a dramatic link between the cellars and the sea just metres from the cliff edge that the building overlooks. The space offers the most evocative setting for Giles’ work. Inspired by the pilchards and sardines that proliferate along the Lizard’s coastline, these fish are allowed to dance and skip along the wall of the cellar’s dining area.
Giles said, “I love working on large scale pieces – this is over two metres long – so it gave me the opportunity to work in a freer, more experimental way. The extreme landscape shape meant I could play with space in a way that can be restrictive at a smaller size. I like empty areas in an image and allowing that emptiness to take up the central section of the painting helps the fish appear as though they are spilling from the picture – as though they are diving back into the sea, something that is just metres from the window. The room itself, being an old fishermen’s shed, is open-plan, the walls are bare, white-washed stone and there is a sense of being a part of the history of the working area and the sea that lends itself to the free-spirited nature of the painting.”
The piece was commissioned by the Cellar’s owners Karen and Richard May. They commented, “Giles brilliantly captured the spirit of the sea beyond our lookout window, painting fish that appear to ‘dance’, on a background that’s full of depth and character….beyond every expectation, it is stunning.”
Giles Ward is a painter working in the South West of England inspired by the natural world. If you would like to know more sign up to the newsletter or feel free to get in touch.
Giles is delighted to consider bespoke commissions. Please contact for more details.
