About this Event
Visitors will be invited to meet the artist, view the new paintings and discover the stories behind the gardens that inspired them.
After a summer of visiting gardens throughout Glasgow on her bike, landscape artist Libby Walker, who was a finalist in this year’s Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year 2026 is set to reveal 17 new original paintings in an exhibition at her city centre studio between 10th and 16th of October.
‘Our Dear Green Places’ brings together a series of paintings created after Walker travelled across Glasgow by bike, visiting private and community gardens, painting them from her distinctive perspective and gathering the stories rooted in each place.
Taking its title from Glasgow’s historic meaning as “Dear Green Place”, the exhibition offers a vivid portrait of the city through the lens of gardens. From The Hidden Gardens in Glasgow’s southside to the gardens of author and journalist Helen Cross, Walker’s paintings capture the distinct character, colour and personality of each unique garden.
Known for work that captures Glasgow’s stories and places, Walker has used the project to look closely at the spaces people tend, share and cherish. Each garden became both a subject and a meeting point: a place to paint, to listen, and to understand how garden continues to offer hope, peace and connection within Glasgow.
Speaking about her upcoming exhibition Libby highlights:
“This project began with a simple idea: to get on my bike, visit gardens across Glasgow and paint the city from the places where people grow, gather and make meaning”
“Every garden had its own character and its own story. Together, they revealed Glasgow as a living, layered Dear Green Place - not just in its parks and public spaces, but in the private corners people nurture with such care. At a time of so much disconnect, division and uncertainty gardens can be a place where transformational change can take place and people can find purpose and hope.”
The exhibition includes gardens of different scales and settings, reflecting the variety of green spaces found across Glasgow and how important these are.
Author, journalist and school gardening champion Helen Cross replied to Libby’s call on Instagram for gardens to paint. She reflected:
“To have our garden seen through Libby’s eyes has been incredibly special. Gardens are and have always been much more than just plants - they are about memory, wellbeing, creativity and the stories we grow alongside them. Our Dear Green Places captures that beautifully, and it feels like a love letter to Glasgow’s green spirit.”
Event venue & nearby stays
Libby's Artroom, 34 West George Street, Glasgow, United Kingdom
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