Bradfieldian William Garfit was born in 1944 in Cambridgeshire. His passion for painting developed when he was a pupil at Bradfield College in the Pang Valley in Berkshire. William said "Val Liddell, the art master was very encouraging and supportive both of art but also he was in charge of the Pang fishing!" By all accounts William enjoyed a lot of fishing too.

After a year at Cambridge Art School he was awarded a Scholarship ot the Byam Shaw Art School in London. This was followed by a further three year post graduate course at The Royal Academy Schools.

In 2020, the year of the lockdown, created the perfect opportunity to paint his favourite flowers, now exhibited in this current exhibition titled "Flowers of Joy". A few of the paintings from the catalogue are shared in a gallery below.

He held a Private View at the Rountree Tryon Gallery in London from Tuesday 14 May to Thursday 16 May in London and from Saturday 18 May 11am to 4pm at the Rountree Tryon Gallery in Petworth until Saturday 25 May 2024.

William would love to meet anyone who can make it to the exhibition.

His website link is www.williamgarfit.co.uk

After he left Bradfield, William was commissioned to paint 2 pieces which are still on display at Bradfield today. One is of former Headmaster Michael Hoban which was in Dining Hall, but is today located outside the Headmaster's office near Snake Door. The other was painted in 1971 as a gift for Michael Hoban. It was of his favourite view from Chapel Door over towards the River Pang and it now resides in the SCR bar at the College. These images are in the Gallery below.

Over time William's work has developed to specialise in the painting of rivers developing his reputation as a premier painter of sporting rivers and his work was regularly used to illustrate fishing articles in The Field. Through his experience of shooting and fishing he has illustrated over 30 and written four books. He has written articles for country sporting magazines and wrote monthly for the Shooting Gazette for 27 years.

William lives in Cambridgeshire with his wife Gina. They have three grown up, married children Jackie, Penny and Henry who is also a Bradfieldian (F 89-94) and five grandchildren. Henry having studied art and a degree in Art History, founded and runs Newlyn Art School in Cornwall, producing exciting short courses of a wide variety of subjects and mediums for people who come from all over the country and online courses for artists all over the world.