Media: framed mixed media on board
Dimensions: 121 x 127cm
Price: £3400.00

This composition is a more minimal piece within Tim Garner's oeuvre. Appealing in its Lowry-like scarcity of composition, on the left side of the composition is a historic cotton mill, and on the right are juxtaposing shiny new builds, pushed back to the distance. Specks of cement are dotted throughout the composition, as though blown in by a gust of wind. Hues of yellow, purple, blue and grey guide us towards the horizon, whilst suggesting an imminent dusk. This is a typically Mancunian setting - those local to the city will be aware of its constant changes and contrasts. Here Garner has juxtaposed the clinical new builds to the terracotta red brick of the old mills, which form Manchester's rich, unique history. There's a brutal beauty within this piece - although we are presented with a baron car park, at the same time we are offered a moment of tranquility, a rare pocket of quiet and peace within a city that is in constant change and movement. Garner's works are distinctive in their ability to take a breath and appreciate these moments of stillness, and to slow down the pace of life. “I’m aware of the sky a lot, so I see how quickly it moves and transforms” Although there is a stillness to this piece - the sky imbues a sense of movement. Flecks of cement dance around the composition, emulating the constant movement of clouds that go unnoticed day to day. A border of cement frames the piece, guiding our eye to the centre, where we are met with a hopeful opening towards the sky. Garner has a distinctive way of appropriating the spirit and physicality of a city - his works are visceral and gritty, as though we would get a residue on our fingers if we were to touch the concrete pavement. Garner's works place us within the setting, as though we can feel the city around us, but simultaneously as external observers. Through a formula of industrial materials such as metals and cement, Garner is able to appropriate this physicality, paired with a colour palette of metallics and iridescent paints to imbue texture, light and depth. Through this process, Garner is able to capture still moments in time, snapshots of the mundane, anti-landmarks of a city, expanded to large scale compositions which demand our time and attention. With an oeuvre that is full of contradictions, Garner's works are distinctive, engaging, and have a way of interpreting a city in a way that's both physical and metaphysical.

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.