Simon Says by Tim Garner

Simon Says by Tim Garner
Simon Says by Tim Garner

'Simon Says' is a painting in Tim Garner's 'Kids' series. Here we are transported to a street in Salford, where two young children play in the wintery light, clad in woolly hats and gloves. The bare-leaved trees echo the swirling sky, and the cathedral in the background reflects the cold, morning sunlight.

'Simon Says' is another piece in Tim Garner's 'Kids' series. Here we are transported to a street in Salford, where two young children play in the wintery light, clad in wooly hats and gloves. The bare-leaved trees echo the swirling sky, and the cathedral in the background reflects the cold, morning sunlight. This piece is painted with an air of honesty, and reflect's Garner's own fond memories of visiting Salford during his childhood summers. With family from Salford, Garner fondly depicts the area throughout his oeuvre, and often prefers painting Salford over the typical city-centre landmarks of Manchester. This specific image feels familiar, as though it could be any Northern town - this aspect is a big appeal within his works - it gives them a visceral sense of integrity, and gives a platform to parts of a city that often go disregarded, but are equally as important to a city's identity. “It’s a value I try to adhere to – the principal ethics of making art – being honest with your viewer” Garner ensures his paintings of Manchester are authentic and honourable - he understands the importance of community and identity within working-class areas such as Salford - his works respect and uplift this. His own personal memories of Salford are reflected in the sincerity of this piece - Garner clearly knows this area like the back of his hand, and is respectful of its rich history. Through a formula of of industrial materials such as metals and cement, Garner is able to appropriate the gritty physicality of his surroundings onto canvas, paired with a colour palette of metallics and iridescent paints to imbue texture, light and depth. Garner has a way of capturing the physicality and spirit of a city in a way that we feel as though we're in it - his works convey still moments in time, and snapshots of the mundane, anti-landmarks of a city, expanded to large scale compositions which demand our time and attention. His works are snippets of Mancunian history - Garner views painting as a way of interpreting what's around us in a way that's both physical and metaphysical, to tell a visual story of an exciting and dynamic city.

Based in his home studio in Stockport, Tim Garner is an artist who captures cityscapes through his own avant-garde lens. Inspired from his time living between Manchester and Paris, Garner works from photography and photo collage as his primary references, taking advantage of their visual immediacy and accuracy. Paint and cement are then used as a way of injecting emotive layers of meaning, forming Garner's distinctive style and flair. Through this process Garner has established his own visual language, which is imbued with character. His works are comfortingly familiar to a Northern audience, whilst enlightening and educating wider audiences. A piece of Mancunian history, this artwork would be a valuable asset for any contemporary art space, collection or home.