Born in Hertfordshire in 1952, my career as an artist began aged 8 years old when a painting of mine was entered by my school into the Hornimans Tea national painting competition and I won 3rd prize. It was at this point that I realised not everyone could draw and paint successfully. It hadn't occurred to me before and I've painted (and drunk tea) ever since. Now I live here on the East coast of Suffolk with my partner Jenny and my big dog Murphy. I have a wide portfolio of subject matter and media, including landscape, portraiture, wildlife and illustration. More recently I have become well known for Western and Native American artwork. These are marketed quite successfully in the USA and are becoming more popular locally too. I don’t try to be historically accurate, but attempt to portray palpable and arresting emotions, suspending reality to present the viewer with the wild, unchecked passions and stoic serenity of Native America.
RV: How old were you when you began to express an interest in art and you can share with us your evolvement as a celebrated artist?
Peter: I have had an interest in art since before I can remember, drawing and painting on any scraps of paper given to me by my parents to keep me quiet. My first recollection of success was aged 8 years when my school entered one of my paintings into a national art contest and I won a prize. Up to this point I hadn't realised that not everyone has the ability to draw and paint successfully, it's always come quite easily to me. I continued enjoying and practising art throughout my childhood, did well with it at school gaining a General Certificate of Education but when I left aged 16 that was the end of any kind of formal training. I never had the ambition or encouragement to consider making art a profession at that time. I left home early and joined the British army aged 17. As a soldier my art still continued to evolve. I remember painting many large abstract pieces for people on wooden panels using household paints, I wonder if any of them survived. I also used to get in trouble with cartoons and caricatures of senior officers. When I left the army and settled down to raise a family, I continued to create for my own pleasure and as a hobby but it wasn't until about 1996 that I began to give art more serious attention, entering paintings in local shows and exhibitions and selling quite successfully. At this time I was concentrating on watercolour landscapes and wildlife illustrations almost exclusively, not having really developed my own style. In 2000 I got laid off from my job and, disillusioned with what work was available to me, I decided to give the art business more attention. I took a part time job driving a truck and devoted the rest of my time to art. I did this for two years and I think this was the time when I was able to hone my technical skills and develop a recognisable style of my own. I soon realised that there wasn't enough time for both jobs, I wanted to be fully self employed and so the truck driving had to go. I sent myself on a picture framing course and purchased the equipment necessary to set up a small business to run along side my work as an artist. Nowadays, apart from a few favours, I only frame my own work. Moving to the coast in 2005 I had assumed I would be making my living from local views and scenes which the many tourists who visit this region would buy. Finding the area awash with artists doing this very same thing made me realise I was going to have to find something more unique if I was going to make any headway. The Western and Native American art has gone a long way in fulfilling that role. I'm constantly amazed at how many people show an interest in Native American culture, even in this remote and sleepy area of the United Kingdom.
RV: As an artist can you please explain the thoughts and emotions that run through your mind as you create?
Peter: As my business is predominantly web based, one thing I am always conscious of is how many people are likely to view my creations. In time it will be thousands, perhaps tens of thousands. This sobering thought always inspires me to make sure I do the very best job I am capable of on each and every piece I start. If I'm not happy with it then it doesn't go out.
Nowadays I have several regular, faithful followers and collectors so often I will think of a person who I know is going to be interested in a particular piece and I will keep them in mind throughout. If I am working on a portrait I often get quite emotionally involved with the person or character I am creating, sometimes to the point where they are in my dreams at night.
RV: Where does your inspiration and passion come from in depicting Native American people into your art?
Peter: By chance I gained a commission from a customer in Canada who wanted a painting with a First Nations theme and so I researched for reference material. I came across the collection of photography by Edward Curtis from the turn of the last century. I was very moved by some of these photographs and the information that came with them. It's so easy to get engrossed in that period of history and with these often poignant yet always beautiful images, the imagination can run riot. Often I will find just a small portion of one of these photographs will trigger an idea, other times I refer to the whole composition. I also have been inspired by the wealth of talented artists specialising in Western or Native American influenced artwork, such as Howard Terpning, Lee Bogle, James Bama and many others. So this fusion of influences has helped me to come up with my own way of portraying the old Native American way of life. I don't profess to be historically accurate but try to capture more of the emotion and passion of Native America while still hopefully maintaining a wide appeal. Another influence has been the number of people I have been in touch with who have some degree of Native American ancestry. Without exception each and every one of them has expressed great pride in this fact. So you will find many of the faces in my paintings have a distinctly modern look about them, while being adorned with Native American style items and clothing, such as 'A Million Miles Away'. This I hope portrays a link and bond between generations.
RV: Which of your works is your favorite (Can be any of your creations, not just Native American)?
Peter: That's a difficult one. It would usually be one of the most recent and probably a portrait, but I'm going to choose 'Into The Promised Land'. For reference I used a photograph I was sent by a friend, taken at a powwow gathering, where there was a large group of horsemen and people on foot in a woodland environment. I picked out this one character and placed him under an enormous sky (we have plenty of those here on the coast of Suffolk) Many of my friends pick this one out as a favourite too and it was selected as the front cover for 'Paint' magazine earlier this year.
RV: Your painting New Dawn is a wonderful and breath taking piece, what does this painting symbolize for you?
Peter: The horsemen in this painting were based on one of the photographs of Edward Curtis. What I wanted to portray here was the sensation of them being on a journey, both physically and also historically. Again I wanted a sense of vast space and distance (as in 'Into The Promised Land') and I think this all comes over well. But what it symbolizes for me is of less importance than what it might symbolize for a viewer. We should all see something different in a painting.
RV: Peter please feel free to add any information here including gallery exhibits and any shows that you have or will participate.
Peter: As well as local galleries here in Suffolk, I have ongoing displays in Gala Art in the Scottish Borders and The Timothy Graham Gallery in Twickenham. This coming year one of my goals is to be short listed for the David Shepherd Wildlife Artist Of The Year competition and to take part in the ensuing exhibition at the prestigious Mall Galleries in London. I will also be organising my own one man show towards Spring time, details will be posted on my website. www.mightfineart.com where my complete collection of available work can be viewed and purchased.
