Artist in Residence

Claire has now finished her residency with us. At the end of her residency, she put together a video talk of her time with us. The video can be viewed by following the link here.


Winterbourne House & Garden is proud to welcome Claire Leggett as Artist in Residence from September 2018 to May 2020.

Claire is a painter and designer living in Bearwood, Birmingham. Every Artist in Residence shapes their role uniquely, drawing personal inspiration from the house and garden. We’re excited to see how Claire’s artistic interpretation brings out something new from this beloved space.

Claire Leggett

Here are a few words from Claire about her plans for the residency:

“A residency at Winterbourne House and Garden is a tremendous privilege. While my career as an artist has developed to include teaching, at the heart of everything lies my own art practice. This residency provides me with the opportunity as an artist to inhabit this beautiful and inspirationally rich space for an extended period of time.

“My work spans the foundational skills of pure painting and drawing and extends beyond – into commercial pattern design, printing and crafting. A flower or a leaf can move from sketchbook to Photoshop, from paper to fabric, from 3D to 2D and find new life as a framed, painted artwork or a hand-made fabric item.

“I am excited to have the advantage to dwell in the garden and to work in the grounds, recording and painting time and again. I will be working on site regularly – so please come up to the studio above the bookshop or say hello if you spot me around the grounds.

Claire Leggett painting

Painting by Claire Leggett

“I hope to relax into familiarity with the location and to discover new perspectives and artistic experiences. I’m looking forward to observing the human relationship to the gardens, the changes of light and season and for the gardens to seep slowly into the development my work.

“There’s a charm about Winterbourne House and Garden that appeals to me – the spirit of the place born of the altruism of the Nettlefold family, the heritage of the building and the ethos of the Arts and Crafts movement which placed such high value on the quality of hand-crafted work. I like to think that Margaret Nettlefold (the first owner) who – like me – was a keen painter and embroiderer, might take pleasure in seeing her home and garden become my muse.”

As Artist in Residence, Claire will be holding workshops to share her skills and knowledge with visitors. Keep an eye on the What’s on page, or subscribe to the monthly newsletter. You can see Claire’s progress on her Instagram here.