26 Artists&Illustrators
referencing the alla prima paintings he does so beautifully.
“British culture is encapsulated on the coast in little
seaside towns, and I love that.”
He wants to map the coast out in his head and make
paintings that compare the coastlines of the south of
England; how Cornwall might differ from Devon, Dorset
or Kent and so on.
One thing that will never change is Peter’s attitude
towards the inclement weather. He has never been put
off by so-called bad weather and instead sees the British
climate as an opportunity for expression. “When you’re
under hammering rain, it concentrates the mind and
makes you paint in a certain way which can give you really
interesting results that you might not have if you had lots
of time,” he says. “There’s something brilliant about a rainy
day when umbrellas are blowing inside out.”
Which is why, despite the picturesque charms of
Varanasi or Havana or New York City, “Pete The Street”
is at his best back home in Blighty, where every day,
it seems, is a school day.
Peter Brown: Bath Is It runs from 30 November to 2 February
2020 at Victoria Art Gallery, Bath. http://www.peterbrownneac.com
LEFT Late Afternoon,
Pulteney Bridge,
oil on canvas,
76.2x76.2cm
BELOW Ned and
the New Puppy on
Ella’s Bed, January,
oil on canvas,
50.8x63.5cm