Joseph M. Kavanagh Norman Garstin was born in County Limerick and as a young man studied engineering and architecture. Curiously, after an accident in which he lost the sight of one eye, he became a painter. Garstin went to Antwerp in 1880, studying in the Academy under Charles Verlat. While in Belgium, Garstin painted a number of attractive small panels of interior and outdoor scenes.
Outdoor studies show a freshness and simplicity.
Garstin followed the contemporary pattern of moving from Antwerp south to France. He studied in Paris under Carolus-Duran for three years, where he met Degas and admired the work of Manet. He visited Brittany, painting a number of impressionist Breton scenes. After Brittany he traveled to the South of France, to Italy in 1884, to Morocco in 1885, Spain, and then to England. National Gallery of Ireland.