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GORDON RUSHMER

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ATHELHAMPTON

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September 10th 2025 – March 7th 2026

I’m honoured to have been invited to exhibit my works in the glorious Athelhampton House near Dorchester, Dorset. This stone-built Tudor mansion with its fine furnished rooms, large hall, immense kitchen and wonderful gardens is one of England’s finest gems.

I have devoted one section of the exhibition to Athelhampton itself, along with works painted across Britain and further afield. There will also be paintings from my decade spent working as a designated war artist alongside British and Dutch elite forces in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and Eritrea.

For opening times and further details please contact:-

Athelhampton House and Gardens, Puddletown, Dorchester, Dorset, DT2 7LG 

01305 848363   www.athelhampton.com

All paintings are copyrighted by Gordon Rushmer and must not be reproduced without his permission.

All works are for sale, please click on images for details and use the Contact page for enquiries.

All paintings are copyrighted by Gordon Rushmer and must not be reproduced without his permission.

This year we have spent time visiting Athelhampton House in Dorset with a view to painting a series of works inspired by this wonderful Tudor Mansion and Garden. I have rarely visited a place that has so much atmosphere. It’s as though the occupants from the 1500’s are just in the next room waiting to greet you. As it is, the staff who do welcome you are so helpful and bursting with enthusiasm for what is one of England’s finest gems.

Not only is the stone house superb, along with it, there is an immense kitchen, furnished rooms and a glorious garden with water features and so many unexpected ‘secret’ views of the building.

As I continue to pursue this personal painting project I will post works on my ‘New Works’ page.

A book of collected poems from Major General Tim Hodgetts CB CBE

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I’m honoured to have one of my paintings reproduced on the cover of this beautifully written and crafted book. Major General Tim visited me several years ago to discuss my work and his writing. I was inspired to produce a series of paintings to try and put his words into paint, no easy endeavour! The result for me has been to have several of these works taken into the collections of the National Army Museum and the Imperial War Museum.

All paintings are copyrighted by Gordon Rushmer and must not be reproduced without his permission.

This year I am working almost exclusively in oils, quite a departure from my mainly watercolour output. Oil paint on linen or panel gives me the opportunity to work on larger formats with more intensity of colour and of course using the surface texture to add another dimension.

All works are for sale, please click on images for details and use the Contact page for enquiries.

All paintings are copyrighted by Gordon Rushmer and must not be reproduced without his permission.

Shillinglee Vineyard who are local to me have commissioned a watercolour for use on their new bottle labels. The ancient tractor sits quietly in the long grass on the edge of the vineyard and was a subject that demanded attention and has ultimately become the Vineyard logo.

Every Spring I travel to Upper Swaledale both to recharge the batteries and to paint. This year was a great success and I have returned with material for several oil paintings. The high hills of the Pennines are always fruitful for me, the combination of spectacular scenery and harsh weather makes for exciting but demanding subject matter. This year has been exceptionally wet and the rivers and waterfalls are in full spate. Illustrated here is my first oil study painted in Birkdale on the road over the tops from Muker to Kirkby Stephen. More will follow.

Robin selected one of my watercolours as the cover for his new book just launched.

“In seeking an illustration for the front of my book I carefully chose a section from Gordon’s ‘Bad weather over Bury’ because it had all the ingredients of the South Downs National Park – the chalk downs, woodland, a village community, meadows and a river. Kevin Rylands has made the most of it by designing this widely acclaimed cover”.

Robin Crane

‘The Fight for the South Downs’ priced £14.99 is now available through your local bookshop or can be ordered postage free from www.browndogbooks.uk. It is also available from Amazon UK.

Francis Iles Gallery continues to represent me with success, having recently taken my works to ‘Fresh Cheltenham Art Fair’. Our partnership is now in its twenty sixth year. 

The Gallery has a fine reputation for servicing their clients, for loyalty to their artists and for an in-depth understanding of how painters work. In an ever changing market they manage to cater for a range of buyers, from the ‘traditional’ to the more ‘contemporary’. 

www.francis-iles.com