Eddie Potts

I was born and live in the Eden Valley, a picturesque part of the world nestled between the Pennine Fells and the Lake District Fells in Cumbria, England. Although inspired by a wealth of lakes artists I generally tend not to paint 'views' but rather home in on detail within the landscape, such as an old tumbledown barn door, or a rotting and lichen covered tree deep in the hollow of a shaded valley or hillside.
I am entirely self taught, having drawn from a very early age, heavily influenced by comic book art in my youth, by artists such as Frank Frazetta and Severin, and indeed had dreams of becoming the English Frazetta! Having not gone to college, there wan't much call for paintings of Barbarian hordes decapitating adversaries or semi naked distressed damsels, so comic book drawings were put aside and I painted other topics, instructive books and manuals taking the place of formal training.
I then discovered the work of David Hockney, or rather the acrylic paints he used, which slowly replaced the wishy washy flat watercolours I was producing back then.
Acrylics were a game changer for me, a revelation! No more disappointment when that vibrant rich watercolour wash dried to a flat dull finish, no more following rules such ...

I was educated at a small market town junior school before going onto secondary education in the same town at Appleby Grammar School.
I left with several insignificant qualifications apart from Art, English Language and Literature, and later on in life accumulated a City and Guilds with Distinction Pass in Dairy Science. Oh, and one in restoration plastering!

I have exhibited and sold work as far afield as London and Edinburgh, and currently have work in the prestigious New Light Art Exhibition, which is currently hanging in Scarborough. After three months it will move to the Tullie House Museum in Carlisle for three months, then to the Biscuit Factory in Newcastle for a similar time and finally to The Bankside in London, ending sometime in November 2021.