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18
Jun 2023
The Harrogate high sheriff with a dash of colour
In April, King Charles III appointed Harrogate artist Clare Granger as High Sheriff of North Yorkshire.
The high sheriff — a role which dates back over 1,000 years — represents the monarch in matters relating to law and order.
It may seem incongruous that an artist with a studio in High Birstwith is rubbing shoulders with barristers and judges on behalf of the king.
But Ms Granger is well qualified for the role: she studied law at Cambridge University and briefly worked as a lawyer before swapping legal briefs for paint brushes and forging a successful career as an artist, with annual shows in London.
Her son and daughter-in-law are barristers so “the law has never really left me”, as she puts it.
Art and law may appear unlikely bedfellows but Ms Granger brings a stamp of colour and style to the role.
Among her aims is to use the 12-month appointment to promote art as therapy for offenders. The role also involves representing the voluntary sector and emergency services, and she has revamped a Dragon’s Den-style contest run by Two Ridings Community Foundation by getting charities bidding for funding to submit photographs illustrating what they do. She says:
Ms Granger says she’s “more or less” retired from portraits and is focusing more on the use of colour in her art, which she works on from 9am to 5pm at her home studio. She says:
But ironically, being high sheriff has left little time for painting. The role comes with few essential engagements but Ms Granger has thrown herself so enthusiastically into the role, clocking up hundreds of miles each week to attend engagements in North Yorkshire, she has barely any time left.
The day before our interview, she visited the coroner’s office in Northallerton. After our early morning interview she was due to drive to Scarborough for a lunch and then participate in a 10 kilometre evening walk in York.
Tomorrow featured a community event in Birstwith, followed the day after by a visit to Yorkshire Air Ambulance in Nostell and the day after that she was due to attend a rewilding event in Sharow and another community event.
That took her to the weekend, where her engagements included the Harrogate Army Foundation College parade through Harrogate town centre, a golden wedding and a trip to an Open Studios art event.
With Mark Dowie, chief executive of RNLI
The size of North Yorkshire doesn't make life easy.
Moreover, the role isn’t paid: she self-funds her trips and even hosted a big coronation garden party at her own expense in a marquee that had already been erected for her son's wedding.
She doubts whether anyone could combine being high sheriff with a full-time job.
The high sheriff has no formal powers but the invitations have piled up. Why does she think this is?
Ms Granger is a big supporter of the police and is putting particular emphasis on supporting them as part of her role. She says:
With Lady Justice King in York when she accepted the role.
For all the robes of office and archaic traditions, Ms Granger brings a warmth that is often lacking to the legal world. Her name will join a long list of high sheriffs at York Crown Court.
But although she has a lot of respect for the legal profession, she doesn't take long to respond when asked if she regrets giving it up to become an artist:
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