The editor has asked me to say a few words about myself and my painting which I’m more than happy to do. Artists are always keen to get their name in front of the public whenever possible, and what better public than that of Settle and district?
Like many Community News readers I belong to that shadowy breed, the offcumden – and a Lancastrian, although I have now spent most of my life in Yorkshire and am married to a Yorkshire girl so there are extenuating circumstances.
I spent five happy years as a student at Bolton College of Art and went on to a career in art teaching, latterly in Thorne, near Doncaster. (I was painting and exhibiting all this time, mainly in galleries in Yorkshire.) When I got the chance to take early retirement, I grabbed it with both hands and moved from our then home in Selby here to Giggleswick in 1999.
I soon realised that my work was to be transformed by the dramatic surroundings of Ribblesdale and the Three Peaks. Being able to walk from home into this amazing landscape in all weathers and seasons gave my work a new immediacy and strength.
But my landscape painting has always been informed by fell walking and backpacking. With my wife Sheila I have covered many of the Long Distance Paths in Britain: the Pennine Way, Coast to Coast, Cumbria Way, Dales Way and Cape Wrath Trail amongst others – plus of course Sheila’s very own Lady Anne’s Way. Just prior to our move to Giggleswick we satisfied a lifetime ambition with a 1,200-mile self-supported trek from Land’s End to John o’Groats.
Walking in the hills continues to feed into the painting – all my work derives from first-hand experience of the landscape, usually over long periods and supported by endless sketchbook studies.
While much of my work embraces the long-distance view, I also like to focus on an individual feature in the landscape – the cover painting of Settle bridge promises to be among the first in a series looking at our more domestic environment.
You can see more of my work at my annual Open Studio which we have been hosting for well over twenty years now. This year’s dates are November 16th and 17th. Why not come along to our friendly pre-Christmas get-together and enjoy the latest paintings?
Full details will appear on my website www.frankgordon.co.uk nearer the time and you can also contact me at frankgordonarts@gmail.com.
Cover painting: Frank Gordon ‘At Settle bridge’ oil on canvas 30cms x 30cms
