"Castlerigg Stone Circle" Painting

Pesentation and Biography Brian Lockett Born in Rochdale England in 1958, I left school at the age of sixteen and headed off to Rochdale College of art and design. Although I spent two years in the sculpture department my early influences included LS Lowry of whom I felt I could relate. I crossed the pennines in 1978 bound for Leeds Polytechnic School Of Fine Art, where under the tutelage of George Hainsworth and the influence of Henry Moore, I developed as a sculptor. Graduating with a BA hons in fine art, I became recognised as one of Britain's 1980 young contemporaries, with works on view in several of Britain's major city Art galleries. I crossed the pond and did an MA at Concordia Montreal, after which Travel and Adventure became my life. By the mid 1980’s I set up a studio in Newport Beach California, earning a living silk screen printing and selling pencil drawings. The drawings were accurate representational landscape renderings, some of which found their way into several celebrities private collections. By the 1990’s I was producing prints for surfing design companies. I moved to Colorado producing and printing commercial ski related images. It wasn't until the 2000's, I returned back to Europe, I rediscovered my passion for “real art” after visiting galleries in Rome, Paris, Venice and Girona. I have developed my recent painting technique following the lines of abstract suggestion. I use the figure, object or landscape to inspire rather than represent. Colour and shapes continue to dominate my recent work. I use these to create movement depth, mood and a feeling of rhythm. My influences now include…. Picasso, Monet,Brian utenberg, George Hainsworth ( my mentor) and my “old friend” David Hockney