Exhibition by Peter Townsend

About Us

Watercolours and wood carvings

Drinks Event Thursday 5th April 5-7 pm (free for all to attend)

Gallery opening times: Tues, Fri, Sat 10-4 and Thurs 12-7 (also by appointment)

After about fifteen years as a Primary Teacher in all subjects, Peter completed his Advanced Certificate in Education at Bristol University, during which he began to work with stone and marble but found wood to be more sympathetic and a real pleasure to work with. Using very simple tools like a surform plane with a wooden handle, Peter worked the trunks and roots of trees by hand. Some of these early sculptures can be seen in this exhibition.

Peter has held various teaching roles in Essex, Gloucestershire and in 1965 gained a Headship at Milton Junior School in Weston-super-Mare, which he held for twenty years. Married and with a family, his wife sadly passed away four years ago and since then he has filled his time by returning to watercolours. Peter finds himself attracted to buildings and boats, often picking out patterns in what he sees. Previously working in situ, he now works more from photos or images he has found.

Harold Sayer was his art lecturer at college and instilled in Peter a life-long love of art. Barbara Hepworth was the encouragement for his wood carvings - "she was an inspiration", like Paul Nash. He doesn't reference any artists in particular however; he has developed his own technique using a modest paint box from which he gets remarkable results. His watercolours are cleanly executed with keen choices of palette, which often lead the mood or light of each painting, although the decisive compositions and geometries are predominant.