art2art
I had an art school education studying under Eric Hurren at Canterbury College of Art and Edward Middleditch at Norwich School of Art.
My passion for painting began at an early age, but eventually proved insufficient to support a young family. Faced with this I learned woodworking and established a successful joinery and cabinetry business in North Norfolk.
In later years I was able to return again to my art and in partnership with my wife started a gallery initially in Norfolk, and subsequently in Somerset. Here, I was able to develop and sell my own work at the same time as curating and learning from the art of others.
Eventually, when the lease expired and the gallery closed we were able to focus entirely on painting in our studio at home.
Working in oils, acrylics or watercolour, paintings are usually preceded by walking and sketching, drawing in ink and wash using an old Sheaffer pen and a bottle of Quink. I rarely paint directly from the sketches but they are full of useful information and atmosphere. Next comes charcoal or carbon drawings in the studio, first on paper and often then directly onto the final board or canvas. A favourite technique is to draw on the canvas with soluble carbon pencil and wash it out with turps or water like a giant ink and wash sketch. Paint is applied trying to keep a balance between loose washed on brush strokes and tighter, more focused areas where the detail is more carefully observed and the paint more liberally applied, with brush or knife. To a certain extent each painting is a journey and it’s destiny depends to a large degree on mood and the choices that are made in the painting process.
Peb Burfoot