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.
It is never easy to pin down what is quintessential to our character, but it is safe to say the English love to garden and in a singular style defined by history, climate and scale. Our garden is small in scale but filled with a wide variety of plants chosen for interest throughout the year.
There is a long tradition of artists being inspired by their gardens and in 2016 the Royal Academy of Arts put on an exhibition entitled Painting the modern garden – Monet to Matisse which was the inspiration behind this series of paintings.
Oil sketch of a laburnum tree cascading over lilac [Cat: 0332, Laburnum, 16 x 20″ / 40 x 50 cm, Oil paint on canvass board, 2015]
There are certain scenes and situations that affect us in strange ways, whether it is a feeling of déjà vu or something comforting, or perhaps we are aware of a strange sensation but are unaware of the reason behind it.
Several years ago, while staying at a run-down pension in Mons – an ancient hilltop town in the south of France, way off the beaten track – I became fascinated by this scene. The pot plant blocks off access to a short flight of stairs that lead only to a disused and locked door, creating a sense of mystery, and the adjacent chair suggests that a guard or custodian has temporarily vacated their station.
A perfectly placed pot plant and chair [Cat: 0571, Chair at the top of the stairs, 20 x 24″ / 50 x 60 cm, Oil paint on canvas board, 2013]
With dreams of fortunes and fool’s gold, dynamic crystalline geometries both reflective and translucent, rocks provide a fascinating subject to study. Holding a piece of rock is akin to holding the earth’s history in your hands, and it can be imagined as a whole mountain range in miniature. I find it very difficult to describe rocks visually. They hold a fascination for me, and I regularly seek out examples of other artists’ work for inspiration.
Two sketches of rocks on a hillside in the Aegean region of Turkey made in 2009 for a larger painting when I have decided the direction to take. [Cat: 506 Rocks in shade, 2009, Acrylic on board, 297 x 420 mm] [Cat: 506 Rocks in sunlight, 2009, Acrylic on board, 297 x 420 mm]Rocks is part of a series of works inspired by nature. While they provide life-long sources of interest, these subjects ultimately form the basis of my abstract paintings which are both hard-edged and yet fluid in appearance. Rocks tells the story of the earth’s origins through their faceted shapes and multiple forms, from tiny gemstones to imposing granite rock faces.
Early thoughts about an abstract direction, 2009. [Cat: 722 Flat Rocks, 2009, Digital, 400 x 400 mm]This is the idea that I am currently working on which will be visualised in 3D, 2013. [Cat: 723 Rock Block, 2013, Digital, 250 x 400mm]
A single tree silhouetted on the skyline is a trope of loneliness, but that does not diminish the power of such an image as a single tree is the sole survivor of a onetime forest. Trees do not grow in isolation; they are social beings that benefit from being in numbers, and we mammals have a close association and long-standing interdependence with them, as it was their early presence on the planet that exchanged the carbon-filled atmosphere for life-giving oxygen.
It is this close relationship that I like to explore in my studies of trees, bark, leaves and forests.
Olive Tree South: An old olive tree growing near the coast, its boughs swept into an elaborate ‘hair style’ by the prevailing winds – July 2004 – 40 x 30 cm / 16″ x 12″ [Cat:730]Trees is part of a series of works inspired by nature. While they provide life-long sources of interest, these subjects ultimately form the basis of my abstract paintings which are both hard-edged and yet fluid in appearance. Trees focuses on the endless variety in our woodlands and forests, constantly changing in form and appearance throughout the year.
Open Hearted Tree: A tree, its trunk completely hollowed out and yet continuing to support a healthy crown of leaves – June 2016 – 40 x 30 cm / 16″ x 12″ [Cat:733]
Otherwise unremarkable objects, a nail, a splinter of wood or a square of linen are imbued with the power to heal and mend broken lives by faith and their sumptuous presentation. There is an irony between the mundanity of the object, a nail, and the gold, emeralds, pearls and rubies that surround it, suggesting the uncertainty of power.
I think I can use this ‘objective irony’ to good effect in an artwork.
Research photography for the Saville project [Cat: 08/015, Comparison of monstrances for reference, 6 mp / 5312 x 2988 pixel, Digital Photography, 2017]
The geometry of stairs in all their fascinating varieties – sharp and steep leading down to a cellar or sweeping upwards to a grand hall – always provides a tantalising prelude to what is hidden from view. They are still, silent, inanimate, yet hold the possibility of suspense and surprise.
Stairs, landing and door in silver grey [Cat: 0015, Stairs # 03, 16 x 16″ / 40 x 40 cm, Giclee Print, 2007]I have treated the subject in several different ways in my work and will continue to explore other avenues to feed my fascination with stairs, hallways and passages.
In my latest works I have added people to the scenes to see how they react to this intriguing environment.
Coastal regions where gales often lash the landscape have a character of their own, and one particular favourite is the Pas de Calais where the trees that have survived have bent to the prevailing winds. Trying to capture this landscape without taming it provides an intriguing challenge.
Autumn landscape photography [Cat: 16/100, Tree Lined Road, 1 mp / 769 x 576 pixel, Digital Photography, 2004]
Natural Forms is part of a series of works inspired by nature. While they provide life-long sources of interest, these subjects ultimately form the basis of my abstract paintings which are both hard-edged and yet fluid in appearance. Natural Forms focuses on the boundary between flora and fauna, such as a fungus that resembles flesh, or a shell that takes on the appearance of a human ear.
Shapes floating in an ocean of blue [Cat: 29/9999, Shapes on a blue background, 10 x 8″ / 25 x 20 cm, Chalk on cardboard, 2017]
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