{"product_id":"keith-gardner-rca-harvest-time-double-sided-oil-on-board","title":"Keith Gardner RCA - Harvest Time - Double-Sided Oil on Board","description":"\u003ch2\u003eKeith James Gardner RCA (1933-2025) - Harvest Time\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn original oil on board by Keith James Gardner RCA depicting the British countryside at harvest time. Golden fields stretch towards a distant line of trees beneath a broad summer sky, while a tractor works across the centre of the composition and birds wheel overhead.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGardner constructs the foreground from deep brown and ochre furrows which lead strongly into the lighter harvested field beyond. The tractor and its trail across the field provide a small but important focal point, while the birds introduce movement into the expansive sky.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe landscape is painted with the economical, direct handling associated with Gardner's smaller oils. Individual elements are suggested through broad passages of colour rather than tightly described detail. Deep earth colours in the foreground contrast with the ripe yellows and ochres of the field and the cooler blue-green tones of the sky.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe result is a compact and particularly atmospheric rural landscape, capturing both the colour of the harvest season and the activity of the working countryside.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eA Double-Sided Painting\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn especially interesting feature of this work is the second Gardner painting on the reverse of the board.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe reverse carries a loosely handled still life showing fruit, a dark potted plant and books arranged across a pale tabletop. It is a distinctly different subject from the rural landscape on the principal face and offers an unusual glimpse of Gardner working within the still-life tradition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBoth compositions therefore form part of the original painted board. The still life can be viewed when the board is removed from the frame.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eAbout the Artist\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKeith James Gardner RCA (1933-2025) was born in Liverpool and studied at Liverpool Art School and the Laird School of Art in Birkenhead. His career became closely associated with Liverpool, the Wirral and North Wales, both through the institutions with which he was involved and through the landscapes he painted.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGardner was elected to the Royal Cambrian Academy in 1977 and maintained a long association with the Academy. He worked as a full-time painter between 1975 and 1985 and subsequently spent thirteen years at the Williamson Art Gallery in Birkenhead.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Royal Cambrian Academy recorded Gardner as specialising in small oil panels painted on the spot around North Wales and the Wirral. Although coastal and maritime subjects form an important part of his output, his work extended across rural landscape, townscape, architecture and scenes of everyday life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHis documented Royal Cambrian Academy exhibits demonstrate this breadth. In 1977 his exhibited paintings included \u003cem\u003eLiverpool Waterfront\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eFarm near Pentre Foelas\u003c\/em\u003e. The latter is particularly relevant to \u003cem\u003eHarvest Time\u003c\/em\u003e, demonstrating Gardner's established interest in the agricultural landscape alongside his better-known coastal subjects. In 1978 he showed \u003cem\u003eBoat Re-Building, Birkenhead\u003c\/em\u003e, while his 1981 exhibits included \u003cem\u003eRhyd-Ddu\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eCaernarfon Castle, Evening\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eCentral Pier \u0026amp; Beach, Blackpool\u003c\/em\u003e. The Royal Cambrian Academy's 1989 Summer Exhibition included \u003cem\u003eWalking in the Park\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eBoats, Heswall, April Afternoon\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2019 the Royal Cambrian Academy mounted a dedicated retrospective exhibition of Gardner's work at its Conwy gallery, recognising his long relationship with the Academy and his contribution to painting in North Wales and Merseyside.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eDetails\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eArtist:\u003c\/strong\u003e Keith James Gardner RCA (1933-2025)\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTitle:\u003c\/strong\u003e Harvest Time\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMedium:\u003c\/strong\u003e Oil\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSupport:\u003c\/strong\u003e Board\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSignature:\u003c\/strong\u003e Signed Gardner lower right\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReverse:\u003c\/strong\u003e Second original Gardner oil still life\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eArtwork:\u003c\/strong\u003e 27 × 35 cm (10.6 × 13.8 in)\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFrame:\u003c\/strong\u003e 32 × 40 cm (12.6 × 15.7 in)\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCondition:\u003c\/strong\u003e The artwork and frame are both in excellent condition.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Crag Bank Art","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54414030766418,"sku":"CBA-347","price":135.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1078\/0904\/6866\/files\/IMG_3872.jpg?v=1787854274","url":"https:\/\/cragbankart.co.uk\/products\/keith-gardner-rca-harvest-time-double-sided-oil-on-board","provider":"Crag Bank Art","version":"1.0","type":"link"}