Between 1936 and 1942, Frederik, alias Fred, Garrels trained in drawing and painting at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. During the same period, he also took part in a course in advertising and lettering (decorative drawing), in which he achieved first place in the final year of the program. From 1942 to 1945, after passing an entrance examination, he studied at the National Higher Institute, where he took figure painting classes under the painter Isidore Opsomer.
After his studies, Garrels combined private practice with teaching assignments. He taught at the Municipal Technical Normal Courses (1961–1965), the Municipal Vocational Courses for Hairdressing, Beauty Care and Clothing (1963–1965), and the Municipal Industrial School (1967), all located in Antwerp. From October 1, 1970, he worked full-time as a teacher of special subjects at the Municipal Institute for Decorative Arts and Crafts (SISA).
During his career, Garrels carried out various assignments for Childhood joy, an Antwerp organization that emerged from municipal education and focused on enjoyable and useful leisure activities and holiday programs for children. In 1961, the association opened its own seaside holiday center in Sint-Idesbald, a sub-municipality of Koksijde: the Home Kindervreugd, also known as Home Mathilde Schroyens.
The complex was named after Mathilde Schroyens, Socialist Alderwoman for Education in Antwerp from 1953 to 1976 and then-chairwoman of Kindervreugd, and later – from 1977 to 1982 – the city's first female mayor. The home was put into use in January 1962 and, until its closure in June 2014, hosted seaside classes and holidays for thousands of Antwerp children.
Garrels designed two exterior murals for this holiday center. The preliminary designs show how he determined the dimensions by counting the stones of the wall. The sketches were executed in pencil on tracing paper and differ from the final murals only in their use of color. On separate sheets of tracing paper, he made further detailed calculations in Indian ink.
The design with the figures (23,1 cm wide and 18,5 cm high), described by Garrels on the preliminary draft as 'little guys' big wall St. Idesbald' and in later calculations as 'Wand Kindervreugd', is reminiscent of puzzle pieces fitting together, but also of a chain of paper dolls like those cut from paper. It radiates a sense of togetherness: colorful and playful. The painting was intended for a largely blank side wall of the main wing ('block 3') of the holiday colony, along the Veurnelaan in Sint-Idesbald.
On the preliminary design of what Garrels calls the 'Mermaid Wall' in his calculations – a small boat and a mermaid on turbulent waves (20 cm wide and 8,1 cm high) – he noted color indications. The stones forming the waves were indicated in white, lemon yellow, or orange, which corresponds to the execution. The mermaid was also realized according to the design: the tail in ochre, the head and torso in white. The hull of the boat is half scarlet and half carmine, and the flag is white. In the design, the mast is still indicated as scarlet, but in the execution, Garrels ultimately opted for carmine. This mural was intended for a section of the facade of the home ('block 2'), next to the former parking lot, also located on Veurnelaan.
For the aforementioned design featuring the figures, he created a separate list of possible color combinations, illustrating some colors with a lick of paint. On the list, he listed white, lemon yellow, chrome yellow, ochre yellow, orange, Saturn red (metallic red), scarlet, and geranium lacquer, each with corresponding numbers referring to specific figures in the preliminary design. On the preliminary design itself, each figure was assigned a corresponding number. By comparing both documents, it is possible to see how Garrels arrived at a color combination. Crimson was initially also on the list but was crossed out. In the final version, a broader color palette was used, including green, blue, and purple.
There are a few documentary photographs showing the new murals on the facades. The home was still under construction, as evidenced in one of the photos by the stacks of tiles in the foreground that still needed to be laid. In that photo, the mural 'Kindervreugd' is clearly visible, and in the background, in the distance, the mural 'Zeemeermin'. The photos almost certainly date from 1961. Unfortunately, no images have been preserved showing Garrels himself at work. From other projects—for which execution photos do exist—we know that he usually wore a white dust coat and applied details and refinements to the paintwork with a steady hand, using paint pot and brush.
Garrels worked in a recognizable, stylized, and partly abstracted style, with flat compositions, clear geometric forms, and striking primary colors.
In addition to his work for Kindervreugd, Garrels realized commissions for Antwerp municipal education and for private individuals, such as birth and New Year's cards and advertising assignments, ranging from brochures and advertisements to posters. He also designed covers and illustrations for reading and teaching books from publisher De Sikkel and for publications by Manteau. Furthermore, he designed jewelry.
One of his designs – Luna, a reference to the moon landing – was exhibited in the Belgian pavilion at the World's Fair in Osaka, Japan, in 1970.
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