artist printmaker
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.
If I had to choose just one work from the ‘Picasso and Paper’ show at the RA, it would be this one.
He was the first contemporary artist that I was aware of as a young teen in the early 60s when he was producing some of his best work.
And then there all these wonderful works of art –
#elevatedplains – distant horizons 01
A flat plain atop a hill in the Chilterns looks like an easily defendable position and a suitable site to build a fort or stronghold.
#timeandtide – metamorphosis 01
There are two sundials on the south side of Lincoln Cathedral (consecrated 1092), with the inscription reminding us that ‘time passes quickly’ – a view you can understand when something has been around for over a thousand years, but measured against geological time it is insignificant.
#faithfortified – deep rooted belief 02
The close-up shows the surface covered in graffiti, which suggests to me that visitors to this tomb hoped their mark would help to assist their safe passage in the next life.
#naturalforms – fluid sculpture 05
Cutting the wood to make the frames, this is done on a mitre saw and I keep the pieces grouped together in fours so that the grain and wood colours match when I assemble the frame.
#faithfortified – deep rooted belief 01
This figure in its final repose appears serene and confident in certainty of eternal peace in the hereafter.
#signatureoftime – growth and decay 01
The mix of shapes, colours and textures on the forest floor is a delight to the eye and a larder for those animals and foragers that depend on it for their food. To me it is a ‘signature of time’ and a fertile place from which new life will grow.
#fingertippower – physical interaction 01
This abandoned and rusting fuse box in a parking lot caught my eye. All the fuses have been removed, rendering it redundant, stripped of its power. Even knowing this, the red wiring appears as a warning to the unwary.
