Hurvin Anderson’s Guide to Cambridge

It’s strange how we ended up here. My wife and I were looking to move our family out of London and wanted somewhere that was somewhere between my studio there and my family in Birmingham where I grew up. We saw this great house, an early modernist property from the 1930s, 20 minutes north of Cambridge, and the two ideas matched. The house was pretty dilapidated, but we were able to work on it and I built a garden studio on the site of an old farmhouse.

When I moved here, the first thing that caught my eye was the light. In the mornings and afternoons you get this interesting light that borders the landscape. Being here is slowly starting to have an impact on my work. I’ve been talking about incorporating more of the Caribbean; when I’m thinking about specific plants, I go to the Botanical Gardens to the investigation. I like to walk there, as I am interested in this idea of ​​manufactured perfection.

I’ve lived in Cambridgeshire for seven years but, in a way, I’m still trying to figure out the boundaries of the place. I’ll take the scenic cycle route to St Ives, which runs through the countryside, or walk through Hemingford Meadows and Houghton Mill, in the beautiful Ouse Valley. Farther away, we will take our three children to anglesey abbeyCapability Brown Gardens in Wimpole Hall either Wandlebury Country Parkwhen will we stop at The Gog Farm Shop way home.

It is still novel to see cattle roaming in the middle of the city in Backs

In the early days we went to the center of Cambridge a lot and walked along “The Backs” where some of the university colleges circled the banks of the River Cam. It is still novel to see cattle roaming the center of the city. I remember visiting for the first time King’s College Chapel and, for me, it’s another way of understanding how Britain works. The entire city feels consumed by these all-powerful faculties. When friends come to visit, we take them to the top of the tower in Great St. Mary’s Church, which is the best place to enjoy the view. Trips to the city usually end with a visit to Jack’s Ice Cream; they have a very inventive rotating menu of ice cream flavors like crushed sugar cookie or jasmine.

On Sunday mornings I take my six-year-old son skating on Jesus Green, an open space north of the city center, right by the lock, that is dotted with canal boats. Going there helped me understand that although the city center feels small, Cambridge is bigger than it seems. Like London, it is made up of small towns.

From time to time we go to Mill Road, southeast of the city. We used to live in Peckham and it’s as close as you’ll get in Cambridge to that mix of shops with an independent spirit. There are some great thrift stores, and we like hot numbers for coffee, Arjuna natural food store and meadows delicatessen for sweets.

Before we moved here we went to a talk at boiler yard, the home and art gallery of curator Jim Ede. I loved the architectural philosophy, and have been back several times since. We will also go to fitzwilliam museum. It has this extraordinary atrium and the building overlooks Trumpington Street. However, the last show I visited was at Fen Ditton Gallery, in a converted school building on the outskirts of the city. It is run by a mother and daughter and has a lovely homely atmosphere.

I am possibly the only person who still buys CDs. I have this crazy idea that my kids could pull a CD off the shelf instead of searching online. So when I’m in town, I stock up on Fopp. There is also a big Oxfam Music and Bookshop in Huntingdon where I have found records by everyone from The Brand New Heavies to Delroy Wilson. For art supplies, I go to tindalls. Closer to home, at the weekend, we will head to Lorenzo Artisan Bakery at St Neots for croissants; They are incredible. EITHER The Old Bridge wine shop in Huntingdon, where you can buy Japanese whiskey and unusual wines. For gifts, we like VK Gallery. There’s a lot of snobbery in the arts, but it’s a good place for painting and pottery.

My routine is that once I walk into the studio, I’m upside down. Lately I’ve been preparing for my solo show at the Hepworth. But the more bit by bit I rebuild the place, the more Cambridgeshire opens up to me.

Hurvin Anderson: Salon Paintings is at The Hepworth Wakefield until 5th November