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.
Leaves, a watercolour by John Ruskin
1970s
I travelled a great deal as a young artist and rarely had access to a studio, so for me drawing became an essential tool for the exploration and development of my art.
Cooperstown Lake, Woodstock
All that I know
‘She decided to make him again, just as he had appeared to her in the dream, from the soft terracotta clay; ephemeral, ghostlike, dressed as a woman’
1968
Not everything in an artist’s sketchbook is beautifully rendered; it is however important to show the process and keep a good record of thoughts and ideas, even in their early stages of development. This ‘blue’ sketchbook charts the evolution of my Abstract Landscapes series.
Private chapel, Borgo Belfiore, Archevia
Dale Chihuly’s glass sculpture in Kew Gardens
All that I know
‘They talked about it at length, but still they could not agree on the order in which things had happened or on how many had been in the room at the time’
current
The sketchbook is more than just a tool to me, it has been a life saver, I always findtime to doodle in my sketchbooks however busy I am.