PETER SMITH ARTIST
Background & History
I can never remember a time when I did not enjoy some form of creativity; I gazeupon my childhood with a great sense of fondness and looking back I realise whymy love affair with painting will never end.
Born in the small town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire my earliest memory is of apresent one Christmas that changed my life. It was a small book of black andwhite illustrations; the book was called ‘The Magic Painter’ and came with apaintbrush but no paints. To this day I remember the exact feeling I had when Irealised that this was very, very special book indeed, you ‘painted’ the pageswith water and the colours magically appeared I was hooked!
Holding on to this feeling I wanted others to share in my wonderment so I beganpainting in earnest. I remember having a small watercolour paint set which Itook everywhere. Cats, dogs and people were all painted in the same simplisticform but it was colours and shapes that fascinated me and quite often myattempts degenerated into swirls of colour which I now understand was the startof my art education. Along the way many things added to my development, a fewyears as a surveyor gave accuracy, a computer programmer added a methodicalapproach and a graphic artist in the fashion industry put the last piece of thejigsaw together and gave me an understanding of colour and composition, so insome small way they all helped shape my style and in turn my future.
Two years ago I decided to return seriously back to painting, something that hadbeen delegated to a part time hobby, within a few weeks the passion I worriedmay have dampened was still there - brighter and more overpowering than before.In 2005 I fulfilled a lifelong dream when I was offered the chance to work withWashington Green and within the few short months I have been with them I canfeel my potential expanding far beyond my imagination.
As I finish this paragraph sat at my desk I feel a little tremble of excitementand I look over my shoulder at my latest piece and smile...
I can’t wait for you to see it!
Ideas & inspirations
Childhoodmemories of long summers and cold winters, the excitement of birthdays andChristmas never left me over the years, and it’s these feelings and playfulemotions I like to convey in my work.
People ask me where I get my ideas from, the quirky animals, the strong colours andstrange concepts, but I see them everyday in the street, the people I meet, thefeelings I experience. At the end of every day I have hundreds of imagesfighting for my attention and the chance to be painted; quite often I getcarried away with excitement and fill my sketchbook from cover to cover withinhours, which although it can be emotionally draining, the flood of ideas eachone linking the next, allows me to evolve my work on paper very rapidly givingme such a rich source of reference material.
The inspiration comes from other artists too, the quirkiness of Will Bullas withhis strong characters and whimsical titles but also the surreal Salvador Daliwhich has offered me a unusual slant on the world, but inspiration ultimately comesfrom deep inside drawing on all my experiences, the sketchbook contains only mysurface thoughts, it’s only when painting I place my real emotions down, eachcanvas receiving a different layer of emotion with each session
My colours to complement the compositions come from my work within the fashionindustry and provide strong visual statements, the compositions come frominteraction; I like to include some form of connection between the items on acanvas, and quite often the eyes will play a big part in leading a viewer'sperception, imagine yourself looking from the viewpoint of one of thecharacters, look around from their point of view inside the canvas observingall the other objects, read the title carefully and try to imagine theirfeelings - you will then begin to understand what I really felt when I paintedthe piece and hopefully just like me, smile too!
From Palette to Picture
My sketchbooks are literally bursting with ideas and I will flick from page topage until an image or even just a title catches my eye - fun is the key andthe selection will quite often be the one that raises the biggest smile.
I choose the canvas size carefully and begin to sketch using oil pastels todetermine the composition and also apply smudges of colour to help with thebalancing of the piece. Here I am looking for a natural sense of form andcolour whilst building the light source into the picture, it needs to feelright before I proceed further, I also draw the eyes as accurate as possible;the line of sight has a huge impact upon the final image and I need to get itright as soon as I can.
Oil paint can be a very evocative and sensual medium; just the feel, smell and theintensity of colours remind you of the history oils hold which adds to thestimulation of the senses when working. I begin the background by pushing thepaint into the canvas with my fingers, this allows me to feel part of the pieceat a very basic level and the movement of the oil beneath your fingers is verytherapeutic giving a degree of speed and allowing spontaneous decisions tooccur. I then start to work my way through brushes getting smaller until thedetail starts to appear. The staining effect is created using transparentglazes of colour and copious amounts of scrunched cling-film which creates afantastic texture. Sponges, rags and brushes are used to tidy up any areas andto add interest.
For the impossibly crisp edges a thin layer of linseed oil is rubbed onto thecanvas then wiped off to help with the movement of the brush across thesurface, this allows me to work on the smooth sharp curves without any drag onthe brushes, glazes are applied and tonal transitions are smoothed and deepened it’s this process that has taken so long to master.
Turning a mass of colours and shapes into a picture locked in your imagination isunforgettable experience; I hope you enjoy my world!
A Day in the life...
I’m an early riser, quite often I will be down in the studio by 6:30am looking at the previous days work and deciding which will get my attention today,the light early in the morning gives you a different view of your subject andallows me to make decisions with colour and depth that can be difficult in thefull sun of midday. After a breakfast my wife Jayne heads off to work about 8:00am and I begin to get ready to paint, this normally involves changing into paintspattered jeans and t-shirt, then preparing the studio. This helps to clear mymind before I do the most essential thing of the day choose the music!
A subconscious bond can appear between the ears, eyes and hand whilst paintingand I try to maximise this harmony by listening to the right music, so theselection is very important. I also have my sketchpad at hand so I can put downon paper any random thoughts and images that jump into my mind. I also lay mycolours out in the same order so naturally I can go straight to the colourwithout disturbing my concentration. Today I’m working on a large paintingcalled 'Let me see!' a very vivid piece in blues, reds and oranges thatimmediately made me laugh when I thought of the concept. It shows two of mycharacters peering back at the viewer from the corners of the canvas looking asmuch into our world as we look into theirs, both with a look of surprise as ifthey have just noticed us the viewers looking back at them.
I usually have a quick lunch when I come to a natural rest and I spend a whilewalking around the studio viewing the piece from different angles trying to beas critical as I can for the afternoon session. Painting usually finishesaround 5:00pm when Jayne gets in from work, but I can quite often be found justpicking up the brush as I pass my work just to add a little bit more...
A final look before bed leaves me with a little smile and I retire filled withexcitement again for the following day.
