{"product_id":"keith-gardner-white-sails-river-dee-men-in-red","title":"Keith Gardner RCA (1933-2025) - White Sails, River Dee \/ Men in Red with White Sails","description":"\u003cp\u003eA lively double-sided oil on board by Keith Gardner RCA, centred on two closely related sailing subjects.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe principal face, \u003cstrong\u003eWhite Sails, River Dee\u003c\/strong\u003e, shows a group of sailing boats on the Dee, their pale sails catching the light against the broader estuary landscape. Gardner works with the directness associated with his small location-painted oils, reducing the scene to briskly handled shapes, colour and atmosphere rather than highly finished detail.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe reverse, \u003cstrong\u003eMen in Red with White Sails\u003c\/strong\u003e, presents another sailing scene with figures in red providing a vivid counterpoint to the white sails. The two faces work particularly well together, both reflecting Gardner's sustained interest in boats, estuaries and the changing weather of the Wirral and North Wales coast.\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 White Sails, River Dee \/ Men in Red with White Sails\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMedium:\u003c\/strong\u003e Oil\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSupport:\u003c\/strong\u003e Board, painted on both sides\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSignature:\u003c\/strong\u003e Unsigned\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eArtwork size:\u003c\/strong\u003e 28 × 37 cm (11.0 × 14.6 in)\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFrame size:\u003c\/strong\u003e 34 × 42 cm (13.4 × 16.5 in)\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCondition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Very good condition\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eProvenance:\u003c\/strong\u003e The Estate of Keith Gardner\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eRiver Dee and Sailing Subjects\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe River Dee and its estuary form part of Gardner's best documented painting territory. The Royal Cambrian Academy recorded Gardner as specialising in small “on the spot” oil panels painted around North Wales and the Wirral.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHis documented works include sailing and estuary subjects at West Kirby, the Dee and nearby coastal locations, including \u003cstrong\u003eDee Anchorage\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eJetty on the Dee, Thurstaston\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eSailing Dinghies, West Kirby\u003c\/strong\u003e. The title \u003cstrong\u003eWhite Sails, River Dee\u003c\/strong\u003e therefore sits firmly within an established strand of his work.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe reverse composition, with figures in red and white sails, reinforces that connection. Gardner repeatedly returned to compact sailing subjects in which boats, figures and strong colour accents could be handled quickly and directly.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBoth compositions are painted on the same board. Neither face is signed, so the work is correctly described as unsigned. Its attribution is supported by its provenance from the Estate of Keith Gardner and by the documented identification of this exact double-sided subject.\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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe was elected to the Royal Cambrian Academy in 1977 and worked as a full-time painter from 1975 to 1985 before spending thirteen years at the Williamson Art Gallery in Birkenhead.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Royal Cambrian Academy described Gardner as specialising in small oil panels painted directly from the subject around North Wales and the Wirral. His output includes boats, beaches, estuaries, harbours, villages and rural landscapes, typically handled with concise, economical brushwork.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Crag Bank Art","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54951110181202,"sku":"CBA-414","price":175.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1078\/0904\/6866\/files\/IMG_5116.jpg?v=1791225412","url":"https:\/\/cragbankart.co.uk\/products\/keith-gardner-white-sails-river-dee-men-in-red","provider":"Crag Bank Art","version":"1.0","type":"link"}