Painting for Berghaus: Behind the Scenes of the #TimeToGetOut Campaign
I was recently commissioned by global outdoor clothing brand Berghaus to create a series of original fine art pieces for their major UK advertising campaign, #TimeToGetOut. The brief called for four original mountain landscape oil paintings to serve as the visual emotional anchor for a nationwide media rollout across print, digital billboards, and national press.
Art, Nature, and Mental Wellbeing
The core philosophy of the campaign immediately resonated with me. Modern life is fast-paced, digital, and often incredibly stressful. As a landscape painter based in rural Wales, my entire creative practice revolves around stepping away from screens and reconnecting with the natural world. Translating that raw, atmospheric feeling of the mountains onto canvas to encourage others to step outside was a brilliant challenge.
The final creative concept juxtaposed my traditional, atmospheric oil paintings of rugged peaks with sharp, witty commentary on modern corporate and digital exhaustion.
“The campaign combines specially commissioned paintings of the outdoors with messages that challenge people… presenting an alternative that benefits mental and physical wellbeing. Berghaus is using a series of original paintings created by up-and-coming UK artists Steve Playdell-Pearce, Kitty Cooper, Dot Jupitus, Chris Chalk, and Tom Marsh…”— Chris Tattersall, Head of Brand Management at Berghaus
The Painting Brief & Creative Process
The creative brief from Berghaus was exceptionally refreshing for a commercial project. Rather than micro-managing the visual composition, their team wanted the fine art to be the absolute “hero” of the campaign. The objective was to feature the British countryside at its absolute best, allowing each selected artist to bring their signature style to the canvas. My task was to capture the rugged, ancient atmosphere of the Preseli Mountains in West Wales—a landscape right on my doorstep that I know intimately.
During our initial briefing calls, we established key stylistic cues and environmental watchouts to ensure the final oil paintings would translate beautifully to large-scale media formats. Because the artwork would eventually be adorned with a minimalist campaign label housing a headline and the iconic Berghaus logo, the composition needed a careful balance of open space and dramatic focal points. Painting the sweeping ridges and shifting light of the Preselis allowed me to showcase the raw, untamed beauty of Wales while giving the typography room to breathe on the final digital layouts.
The Campaign Artwork in Action
Across the UK, my landscape paintings were overlaid with provocative, relatable modern questions designed to disrupt the daily grind:
- “Stuck in meetings about meetings?”
- “Is clicking ‘Next Episode’ the most exercise you’ve done today?”
- “Can’t decide which emoji to use?”
Each piece signs off with the signature ‘Time to Get Out’ strapline, urging the public to trade concrete walls for open skylines.
Explore the Collection
Working with an iconic British brand like Berghaus to champion physical and mental wellbeing through art has been a career highlight. You can explore the finished mountain oil landscapes below.
If you love the rugged, untamed feeling of these commercial works, feel free to browse my full gallery of original landscape paintings or contact the studio for commercial art licensing and private commissions.
The ‘Time to Get Out’ campaign signals a new direction for the brand, and you can see my artwork on the BERGHAUS, COTSWOLD OUTDOORS, BLACKS, MILLETS, ULTIMATE OUTDOORS, AMAZON websites, at various associated outdoor events and stores, and on advertising hoardings throughout the UK, and at the 2019 Keswick mountain festival.
It was great to be involved.
Chris
