What's your favourite little shop, market or cafe?

 

Bermondsey 167 

Bermondsey Street

London SE1 3UW

 

Why?

 

It's always full of the most unusual and eccentric gifts, art and homewares.... Rammed to the rafters. It's a treasure trove to behold which is inspiring me to paint 'Still Life' - something I have yet to do but I'll probably start with a piece from here...

 

Where's your favourite place near where you live?

 

I can walk to Tate Britain from where I live in the Elephant & Castle in 25 Minutes which is free and the recent re-hang in date order is a triumph. It's fascinating to see how artists influenced each other during their periods of great work.

 

 

 

about Chris Garrington

 

A late developer or a slow burner, who knows, at 45 I started painting for the first time ever.

 

Unsatisfied with a well paid job in the middle east as an Interior Designer and caught amongst the crossfire of the Arab Spring, I quit and moved to Florence, Italy.  I signed up for a full time painting course at Charles H Cecil Studios and after an intense 5 terms, I returned to London - a painter with classical training.  I now have a studio in Bermondsey where I paint portrait commissions and experiment with other figurative compositions, mainly the male nude.

 

It's tough and money is fleeting but the satisfaction of working alone amongst our visual culture makes it worthwhile. I'm just about to start a portrait of a very famous Iraqi actor/director who nobody knows here and I hope I can capture his stage presence.

 

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Celebrating creative people and the little shops, markets and cafes they love.