After the Hail (The Beast from the East) Painting

Hi I'm Peter. I work from a small studio in Pocklington in the East Riding of Yorkshire. I have recently exhibited at the 250th Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2018 in the Grayson Perry RA 'yellow room' (Room III, on what has been called the 'Brexit Wall'). I previously exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2016, selected by David Remfry RA for Room VII. I started my art career in 2013 creating portraits in oil and pastels and have now expanded my scope to experiment in other forms and materials, most recently painting the Yorkshire landscape. I'm also a photographer. My background is varied, and my tastes are eclectic. Born in the RAF, I spent my childhood on airbases in the US and Singapore. I grew up in Cambridge in the 70's and 80's where I was drummer, singer, songwriter, photographer, taxi driver, printer, campaigner, music entrepreneur, BBC radio broadcaster, and technical engineer. I was closely involved in the early days of the computer revolution in Cambridge in the 80's, and spent the 90's being an IT salesman and network consultant based in York. I'm an autodidact. I read a lot of history and philosophy, and have always been fascinated by the human condition. I'm deeply concerned about climate change. I started drawing and painting after reading Ian McGilchrist's seminal book 'The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World' in an attempt to regain the creative side of my brain after years of technology. My influences are varied....Manet, Clausen, Schiele, Hopper, Klee, Singer Sargent, Cadell, Miro and Bonnard are the first to spring to mind...... My first 'breathless' art moment was seeing Giacometti sculptures at the Tate in my teens. I find it hard to categories myself and eschew all attempts to limit my work to a particular style. Most important to me is that my work is 'about' something. I see little point in attempting to create work that is simply attractive to the eye......it needs to have meaning. Having said that, I'm aware that meaning doesn't always have to be derived from a conscious 'left brained' activity.....hence my attempts at free expression from time to time.