- About The Artist -
Peter Symonds is an artist whose love for the great outdoors clearly shines out of his paintings, drawing the viewer in to share the beauty of the world that he so convincingly captures. At a recent function, before the opening of one of his London exhibitions, he was asked why he painted landscapes. With no recourse to an intellectual response that the question may have sought, his answer was straightforward - "because the natural world is so incredibly beautiful, and I am simply compelled to share my feelings about it through my paintings."
John Constable once said, "I never saw an ugly thing in my life; for let the form of an object, be what it may - light, shade and perspective will always make it beautiful." Peter is reluctant to go that far, but with regard to landscape, he would wholeheartedly agree. A dynamic composition is the vital first step towards creating a successful painting, but it is the light that plays over a scene, with the resulting tones and colours, that brings about the all-important drama, excitement and atmosphere that he so loves to capture on his canvasses.
Born in 1964,he started painting professionally having graduated from Leicester University, and has since held nearly twenty solo exhibitions throughout the country, as well as a good number of joint shows. He is self taught, though in the early days of his career, he enjoyed the help and guidance of a family friend - the wildlife artist - David Shepherd. Peter is an avid reader, and loves to study the lives and paintings of numerous artists from the last few centuries. He particularly admires the work of the Newlyn and St Ives Schools that flourished at the end of the 19th Century.
He loves to paint a wide variety of scenery throughout each of the seasons, as he believes it is all too easy to stagnate by limiting ones subject matter. He particularly enjoys painting, walking and camping in wild mountainous places, whether it be the Himalayas, Atlas mountains, Alps, Scottish Highlands or the Lake district. These expeditions provide him with a wealth of subject matter, and are intrinsically entwined with his ethos of being a landscape artist.
“I have known Peter since he started painting and he reminds me that in his early days I gave him a few “tips”. He is now an established landscape artist, in particular becoming known for recording his beloved Lake District in a way that is unmatched.”
“The Bourne Gallery have given Peter Symonds four exhibitions and each has been an outstanding success with virtually every painting quickly sold. Peter’s work displays an acute observation of detail, yet transcends mere replication. His compositions are exacting in their precision which gives every picture a sense of being firmly grounded; a sense that his subject could only ever be painted thus. It’s his knack of “suggesting” intense detail that intrigues so many people, yet this never slows the viewer down nor spoils the serenity of the whole.”
“With any landscape painting, what sorts the weak from the strong is the artist’s technical ability to convey an emotional response to the viewer – to produce not just an acceptable likeness, but an impression of the place which brings out its essential character. In landscapes, the textures, the time of the day, the conditions and the temperature; all must be tangible. Peter’s work achieves all of this. A perfectionist, he produces work that is consistently good. Nature stirs his soul, and when you view a painting by Peter Symonds, it will stir yours too.”