Art Brightening Up Tube Travellers' Day

A DARK tunnel might be an unlikely
spot for a gallery, but artists are clamouring
to exhibit their work there.
Kent artist Tim Guest is the latest creative
to display his work on the London
Underground, brightening up commuters’
day with his striking image of a tree.
The Bow will be exhibited on the
Piccadilly Line at Gloucester Road for two
weeks from Monday, offering Londoners a
glimpse of nature as they endure the daily
slog.
With his impressive portfolio, landing the
spot with Art Below was a simple process
for the Ramsgate artist.
“It was recommended to me and a friend
of a friend had exhibited there,” Guest said.
“I had a look at the website and when I
applied, they liked my images.”
Smoggy tunnel
Naturally, the painting that will hang in
the smoggy tunnel is not the original. That
is in the Bell Hotel in Sandwich, alongside
other works by Guest. He had to create a
huge scan image of the painting, which will
be used to adorn Platform Five.
Posters of underground art are available
to buy and Guest hopes that exhibiting to a
captive audience will generate interest in
his work.
“I’m hoping that I’ll be able to get more
exhibitions nationally,” he said. “I’ve
already had some interest from a couple of
galleries in Brighton.”
ON THE PLATFORM: The Bow, above, is on display at the Gloucester Road station on the Piccadilly Underground line in the capital for
two weeks. Another of Tim Guest’s paintings, right, is typical of his work inspired by the landscape, which uses acrylic and pastel

The Bow is one of a series of images of
trees that seemed to develop naturally, as
Guest, 36, discovered a market for his
unusual pieces.
“I really love experimenting with media
and I found the pieces that have sold at the
Bell Hotel are primarily based on landscapes
and trees,” he said. “I’ve done some
(more), though I’m not limited to that. I
think my vivid use of colours and textures
appeals to a lot of people.”
While some of his pictures have a moody
and almost dark feel to them, others make
use of uplifting natural light and rich
colours. Guest’s love for experimentation
includes shifts in mood, as well as method.
“I primarily use acrylic, pastel and resist
techniques, and I often put texture on the
canvas before painting,” he said.
“This kind of experimentation would
often add a new significance to my work
and create unexpected results. I’ve done
some incredibly vibrant pictures with
bright oranges and yellows. The tree pictures
are quite moody.
“The Bow was based on a sketch I took of
trees by a beach and it was a particularly
bleak day. They (the pictures) are taken
from a primary source like sketches and I
like to get the mood across when I’m drawing
it. But once I’ve experimented, it could
take on a new meaning and mood.”
Guest went to school in Canterbury and
did a degree in fine art at Christ Church
University, before studying spatial design
at University College, Suffolk.
He teaches theatre set design at
Canterbury College, as well as working as
an illustrator, but is happy to be a fine
artist rather than pursuing a full-time
career in theatre and TV.
“I really enjoy teaching it (set design),” he
said. “Unfortunately, when I graduated, a
lot of the crews that were designing for the
BBC were made defunct and it was
swamped by freelancers, so I was not really
able to get into it.
“But at the same time it enabled me to be
a youth artist worker and that led to me
going into Creative Partnerships. I felt my
own creative curiosity about becoming a
fine artist.”
Creative partnerships
Creative Partnerships, the Arts Council’s
creative learning programme, supports
long-term collaborations between schools
and artistic professionals.
Guest delivers workshops in local schools
and has found the learning experience to
be a two-way street.
“I’ve met fantastic artists who have
inspired me, but the work with young people
has also been inspirational,” he said.
“The ideas and creativity bleed into me.
Young people get a lot of reward out of
being creative and I think it’s missing from
a lot of their lives.
“I think that by having someone the kids
don’t know working alongside the school
curriculum, artists are able to push the
boundaries and find new ways of exploring
a subject.
“I’ve been working in primary schools
and it can help teachers find new ways of
being creative.”
Guest spent much of his childhood in
Thanet, including some time living in
Monkton, and is particularly inspired by
the recent surge in the area’s artistic profile.
He believes the influence of exciting
projects in other areas, like the Folkestone
Triennial art exhibition, is also felt in
Thanet.
“There’s a lot happening,” he said. “It’s an
exciting place for artists now that we’ve got
the Turner Contemporary in Margate and
there are a lot of new galleries.
“There’s a lot of regeneration happening
and because of my work with artists, I’m
privy to what’s underlying and what’s
available.”
• View more of Guest’s work online at www.modern-wall-art.
com. More information about Underground art can be
found on the website www.artbelow.net