Alethea Garstin was born in Penzance, Cornwall in 1894. She began to paint at the age of 16 and although she never received any formal training, she was predominately taught by her father, the acclaimed painter Norman Garstin, who also taught artists such as Harold Harvey.
In 1912, at the tender age of 18, Garstin had her first painting accepted by the Royal Academy, where her work was frequently accepted thereafter. She was influenced by Fauvist painters, and nearly always painted en plein air
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Generally painted on a smaller scale, Alethea Garstin’s work is characterised by its freedom, looser, impressionistic brushstrokes and a sure sense of colour and composition. Her confident handling of paint meant Aletheas has acquired many admirers of her work, including the British abstract and figurative artist Patrick Heron, who went as far as to describe her as ‘England’s leading impressionist’ in 1978.
Alethea travelled widely throughout her life, from Italy and France to Africa and the West Indies. Her travels greatly inspired her work and her subjects included many scenes and characters she came into contact with upon her travels. Garstin was also heavily influenced by scenery and places closer to home, most notably Ireland and her native Penwith.
Alethea died in 1978, shortly before a major exhibition of her and her father’s work opened in St. Ives.
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