An exquisite shade of yellow from Edward Bulmer Natural Paint – ‘Lute’ – brings a warm glow to the sitting room in one of the oldest parts of the house, where wooden beams stretch across the low ceiling. The master bedroom is a case study in embracing character: its centuries-old floorboards are bent so far in the center that the bed sits on wooden blocks to level it.
Daily life at Capel Ifan settles into an easy rhythm. Ruth divides her time between editing in her office near the kitchen and tending to the garden she creates, while Tom’s creative process unfolds in one of seven nearby outbuildings. ‘Having been used to painting one end of a 1960s garage, I was spoiled for choice when we moved here,’ he says, grateful for the space and the quiet. ‘Painting needs isolation, and the former dairy that is now my studio provides this.’
Although Keppel does not appear directly in Ifan Tom’s art, his influence is profound. ‘I want my paintings to feel genuine, spontaneous and loose. In many ways, that’s what we want our home to feel like,’ he explains. His pared-back work, with geometric shapes and gestural brushwork, explores the balance of intention and accident. It echoes a home that is itself a living canvas, thoughtfully shaped by the people who live there.
Tom’s solo show ‘Undiscovered Ground’ is at General Assembly, St George Street, W1 on 18-20 June: generalassemblylondon.com
