about

Born in 1970, Giles Whitehead grew up on a farm in Tenterden, Kent. The farm and countryside have always influenced his work and inspired his passion for woodworking. As a child, Giles could often be found whittling or sketching in the fields. His interest in art continued through school and into higher education at The Kent Institute of Art and Design. After graduating in 1992, he spent several years as a freelance artist, working in various fields, including shop window decoration, illustration, and model making for "The Wombles."

After traveling the world, Giles lived in London, where he studied at Roehampton University of Surrey. After graduating, he taught at The Notting Hill and Ealing High School for Girls and, in 2003, he returned to Kent, where he taught at The Malling School and continued to create and promote his art locally, presenting work in over twenty solo exhibitions. In 2021, he decided to focus exclusively on his art and now works as a full-time freelance artist.

 “My art comes from my own historical, intuitive journey. Paintings and sculptures are about a place in time., a small, visual story with clarity, but also areas for interpretation. I prefer the subtlety of small interactions over the dramatic, but might emphasize the drama of buildings with steep angles and grace them with a small event like a cat treading in a wet clay roof tile. I use a distinctive palette, my distilled colour memory of a place. I want my art to show a rich heritage and history and my exhibitions to have the feel of a local museum crowded with paintings and artifacts. A curious and evocative space to explore."