Artist: Peter Smith
Title: Hit The Brakes
Size: 39.5" x 32"
Edition Size: Artist Hand Signed and Numbered Limited Edition to 150
Medium: Canvas on Board
About the Artist: HISTORY & BACKGROUND

I can never remember a time when I did not enjoy some form of creativity; I gaze upon my childhood with a great sense of fondness and looking back I realise why my love affair with painting will never end.

Born in the small town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire my earliest memory is of a present one Christmas that changed my life. It was a small book of black and white illustrations; the book was called 'The Magic Painter' and came with a paintbrush but no paints. To this day I remember the exact feeling I had when I realised that this was very, very special book indeed, you 'painted' the pages with water and the colours magically appeared - I was hooked!

Holding on to this feeling I wanted others to share in my wonderment so I began painting in earnest. I remember having a small watercolour paint set which I took everywhere. Cats, dogs and people were all painted in the same simplistic form but it was colours and shapes that fascinated me and quite often my attempts degenerated into swirls of colour which I now understand was the start of my art education. Along the way many things added to my development, a few years as a surveyor gave accuracy, a computer programmer added a methodical approach and a graphic artist in the fashion industry put the last piece of the jigsaw together and gave me an understanding of colour and composition, so in some 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 had been delegated to a part time hobby, within a few weeks the passion I worried may 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 with Washington Green and within the few short months I have been with them I can feel my potential expanding far beyond my imagination.

As I finish this paragraph sat at my desk I feel a little tremble of excitement and I look over my shoulder at my latest piece and smile...

I can't wait for you to see it!

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF

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 and allows me to make decisions with colour and depth that can be difficult in the full 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 paint spattered jeans and t-shirt, then preparing the studio. This helps to clear my mind 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 painting and I try to maximise this harmony by listening to the right music, so the selection is very important. I also have my sketchpad at hand so I can put down on paper any random thoughts and images that jump into my mind. I also lay my colours out in the same order so naturally I can go straight to the colour without disturbing my concentration. Today I'm working on a large painting called “Let me see!” a very vivid piece in blues, reds and oranges that immediately made me laugh when I thought of the concept. It shows two of my characters peering back at the viewer from the corners of the canvas looking as much into our world as we look into theirs, both with a look of surprise as if they 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 while walking around the studio viewing the piece from different angles trying to be as critical as I can for the afternoon session. Painting usually finishes around 5:00pm when Jayne gets in from work, but I can quite often be found just picking 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 with excitement again for the following day.