About

Artist Statement

My drawing practice centres on trees, observed closely and drawn slowly, often with fineliner pen on paper or cement tile. These studies are rooted in walking: through parks, estates, edgelands, and neglected spaces where nature quietly persists. Influenced by psychogeography, I’m interested in how place, memory, and mood intertwine, how the act of wandering can reveal overlooked corners of both landscape and self.

Each drawing is paired with a short text, part reflection, part observation, that offers a personal response to what I encounter. The process of making is slow and attentive, becoming a way to steady the mind and stay present. Drawing trees has become both a contemplative act and a grounding one, particularly in relation to mental health.

This ongoing body of work is forming the basis of a forthcoming artist book, a seasonal collection of tree drawings and written reflections. Through it, I hope to share the stillness, curiosity, and quiet humour that can arise from simply paying close attention.

Artist Biography

Warren Garland (b. 1977, Birmingham) is a visual artist and filmmaker based in Birmingham. His multidisciplinary practice spans long-form experimental documentaries often drawing on the British documentary tradition, and short-form video works using found footage, much of it framed within a self-devised mythological realm, Baltia.

In recent years, Garland’s focus has turned to drawing, particularly trees observed in overlooked urban and suburban landscapes. Executed in fineliner on paper or cement tile, these works are accompanied by short reflective texts that explore memory, mental health, and the act of noticing. His approach is shaped by a psychogeographic sensibility: walking, drifting, and observing how place shapes experience and emotion. This ongoing body of work is forming the basis of a forthcoming artist book, compiling drawings and writings.

Garland holds an MFA in Fine Art from Central Saint Martins (2010) and a BA in Fine Art from Solent University (2006). His moving image work has been exhibited internationally, including at the ICA London, Hayward Gallery, Victoria & Albert Museum, and the Sheen Centre in New York.