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Southpool Creek, Devon
FAQs

faqs

Do you teach or run workshops?

I rarely teach. I am not very good at helping people with what they want to do. I have been known to do the odd ‘Paint with Pete the Street’ day but it’s very rare.

Alternatively, you can join me on painting holidays that I do from time to time. These 10-day-ish trips are not tutored but are an opportunity to ‘paint alongside’ me. So, if you have the patience, you can watch my every brush stroke! It’s great fun – we have a concierge who looks after us and books nice restaurants where we have a good old gas and the odd glass of wine. So far, destinations have included Arles, Florence, Vietnam and Havana.

To find out about forthcoming trips, sign up for my email newsletter.

Do you do talks?

I do the occasional talk about my work, usually around my exhibition openings. If you are interested in attending one, keep an eye on my social media (see links at top and bottom) for news of forthcoming events, or sign-up for email updates to make sure you don’t miss out.

If you would like me to do a talk to your club, group or college, please contact me.

How much do your paintings cost?

I have a selection of original paintings for sale here on my website. Prices are displayed, starting from £2,250 (inc. VAT).  My paintings are generally priced on a size basis. A 16 x 12 inch oil on board would be around £4250 and a 20 x 25 inch canvas around £8500. 

If that doesn’t fit with your budget, I have a selection of limited-edition prints available.

Do you do commissions?

Yes, I do – provided I like the subject. Contact me to discuss.

Any tips for emerging artists?

My best tip, I think, is to be fanatical. Paint like a nutter. Photograph everything professionally for that monster biography. And do not be precious about selling. A sale buys you time to do what you love and to get better at it. Also, look at other artists’ work – be envious of their skill, learn from it, and let it give you a boot up the bum. Feeling inadequate is a real motivator. For a more detailed answer, read my blog post: ‘Advice for an Art Student‘.

Where can I see your work in person?

The best place is at one of my big solo exhibitions. I generally have a show at Messums in London every two years, and one at the Victoria Art Gallery in Bath every three years. I also show my work at various mixed and group shows such as the annual exhibitions run by the New English Art Club, the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, the Royal Society of British Artists, the Royal Institute of Oil Painters, the Pastel Society and Bath Society of Artists. I sometimes exhibit at other galleries such as the Albany Gallery in Cardiff and Brian Sinfield in Burford. And every now and then, I open up our home in Bath for a Christmas or summer exhibition. Keep an eye on my website, social media, or sign-up for email updates.

If you are interested in buying a painting that’s for sale on my website but wish to see it before you commit, please contact me to see if we can arrange a viewing.

What art materials do you use?

I paint in oils. I use:

  • Zest-it oil painting thinner
  • Roberson Glaze medium
  • Pro Arte green shaft hog hair filbert brushes, no. 2 upwards
  • A small nylon round number 2 or 4 for fiddly bits (Pro Arte do one with a white shaft)

Canvas:

  • No. 20 canvas – oil-primed linen from Bird and Davis on 2¼-inch raised-lip stretchers with tacks on the side
  • or 4mm MDF board with 3 coats acrylic gesso and what I call ‘end of the day sludge’ as a ground

Oil paint:

  • Artists’ quality oils: various brands including Winsor and Newton, Michael Harding, Old Holland, Wallace Seymour.
  • Earth colours: Raw Umber, Yellow Ochre, Transparent Oxide (Burnt Sienna) and Madder Brown
  • Ultramarine Blue, Viridian, English or Venetian Red, Prussian Blue, Titanium White, Yellow – Cadmium and Lemon, Red – Cad and Deep Red Cad, Brilliant Rose Pink, Alizarin

Easel: Mabef full box easel

I also do work in charcoal using willow charcoal and a 180gsm textured paper with a putty rubber.  I try not to fix, but if I have to, I use hair spray. I also work in Cachet brown paper sketchbooks.

How long does it take you to complete a painting? Do you do it in one sitting?

Sometimes I paint it all in one go (about 2-6 hours depending on the weather and the size of the painting). Sometimes it needs to be if it is a fleeting moment. Other times, I will revisit the site at the same time, in the same light, on consecutive days, and they can take around three or four sittings of 2-3 hours.

How do you get people to stand still?

Well, you simply cannot. You have to use your memory or assemble figures from different bodies at different moments. Some work. Some don’t.