We took a trip up to Macclesfield to meet one of the UK’s leading Contemporary artists, Gareth Tristan Evans.
Upon our arrival we received a warm welcome from him and his black lab Lyra who proceeded to follow us around for the duration of our stay.
To Kim's disappointment it was only because she wanted to be fed, not because she had taken a liking to us.
We briefly spoke about the art world, cars and Japan over a cup of tea before being lead through Gareth's beautifully stylish and rather contemporary country home, through his floor to ceiling glass doors that open onto a stunning garden with views of the beautiful English Countryside.
Tucked in the corner is a rather inconspicuous shed but on entry we were greeted by an authentic Japanese sign that illuminates a wonderfully surprising creative space where Gareth spends most of his time creating his incredible artworks.
As it is a workspace, there was of course an abundance of art supplies, works-in-progress and piles of stock but it is also a very trendy, personal setting that gave us an insight into Gareth's interests, inspiration and hobbies.
There was music playing in the kitchen as well as in his studio with a rather impressive vinyl collection tucked away.
We also spotted his Iconic 'Trunk of Funk' speakers that we originally came to know him for-original vintage leather suitcases that he has converted into portable speakers but much to our disappointment, these are no longer available!
He showed us his impressive Japanese stamp collection of over 2500 unique stamps that he uses in majority of his Japanese inspired artworks.
Simon was lucky enough to be sent home with one to keep and after some research we are told it reads 'Hosoya' which is a traditional Japanese surname.
We spent some time viewing all of his latest releases and hand picked a collection to bring back to the gallery with us, we got some insight into his thought process and techniques and secured our very exciting plans for the future before making our way back to Daventry to display his incredible originals, limited editions and ever-popular skate decks on our gallery walls.
It was a very successful outing indeed and we look forward to finding new homes for all of these fantastic pieces!