Author: PT
Peter Town is a born storyteller, gifted with an ability to translate both everyday quirks and deeper philosophical musing through his work. Often using strong lines, striking colours and symbolism in his pictures, Town has built a vibrant portfolio.
Born in Bethnal Green, he grew up in Liverpool and was later educated at Bath Academy of Art and the Royal College of Art. Taking advantage of his ability to communicate ideas visually, he went on to enjoy a successful career as a designer while he continued to paint and develop his artistic style through drawing, painting, photography, and printmaking.
While many of Town’s paintings use strong shapes and primary colours, such as the Stairscapes series, others are quieter and more contemplative, representing a more tranquil inner space.
His Abstracts series features works where the narrative is more ambiguous but ever-present. He sees landscapes, interior spaces and natural forms as abstract shapes and colours, transcribing these in his unique style onto paper and canvas.
Simple grave, near Saffron Walden, Essex
Times Square, unusually quiet
Green Spain
#journeythroughlandscape – romance of loneliness
The rocky northern coastal region of the Iberian Peninsula and the Basque people who live there create an atmosphere that is a blend of both European and Asiatic. Known in the UK as ‘Green Spain’ thanks to its cooler, wetter climate and tree-covered mountain ranges, it is an intriguing area. The Basque culture’s mysterious roots, the ruggedness of the coastline and the beckoning Atlantic wilderness all feed the imagination.
Travelling through the region’s mountainous Picos de Europa national park a few years ago, I was captivated by its remoteness and beauty. Villages are few and far between, so the feeling of space and mental freedom are amplified. The spectacular landscape would encourage any artist to attempt to capture both its beauty and the romance of loneliness that emanates from an all-pervading mist that hangs in the valleys throughout the day. Snow-capped peaks rise into the clouds in mid-summer, and cattle roam freely on the lush pasture. Ramshackle shepherds’ huts and barns litter the landscape, making perfect subjects for study.
Big skies, big fields, distant sea, the north Norfolk coast
clashing colours, complementary after- glows
#seeinginthedark – sensations of spatial awareness
Can we see with our eyes closed? We can see perfectly clearly in our dreams and even when we are awake with our eyes closed, we get the sense of the space around us. It has been suggested that sensitive areas of our cheeks can generate a sensation of spatial awareness through a number of sensors.
If we can feel what we can see, can we believe what we see? The work of M C Escher has a wide appeal and fascinates graphic artist as do the ticks of visual illusion, Ponzo’s rail track illusion, silhouettes of two faces that could be a vase and Kanizsa’s triangle.
Both the static and the digital visual experiments work with the visual effects of clashing colours, the halos they produce and the after images.
