Featured work by Peter Smith

I can never remember a time when I did not enjoy some form of creativity; I gaze upon my childhood with a great sense of fondness and looking back I realise why my love affair with painting will never end.

Born in the small town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire my earliest memory is of a present one Christmas that changed my life. It was a small book of black and white illustrations; the book was called 'The Magic Painter' and came with a paintbrush but no paints. To this day I remember the exact feeling I had when I realised that this was very, very special book indeed, you 'painted' the pages with water and the colours magically appeared - I was hooked!

Holding on to this feeling I wanted others to share in my wonderment so I began painting in earnest. I remember having a small watercolour paint set which I took everywhere. Cats, dogs and people were all painted in the same simplistic form but it was colours and shapes that fascinated me and quite often my attempts degenerated into swirls of colour which I now understand was the start of my art education. Along the way many things added to my development, a few years as a surveyor gave accuracy, a computer programmer added a methodical approach and a graphic artist in the fashion industry put the last piece of the jigsaw together and gave me an understanding of colour and composition, so in some small way they all helped shape my style and in turn my future.

Two years ago I decided to return seriously back to painting, something that had been delegated to a part time hobby, within a few weeks the passion I worried may have dampened was still there - brighter and more overpowering than before. In 2005 I fulfilled a lifelong dream when I was offered the chance to work with Washington Green and within the few short months I have been with them I can feel my potential expanding far beyond my imagination.

As I finish this paragraph sat at my desk I feel a little tremble of excitement and I look over my shoulder at my latest piece and smile...

I can't wait for you to see it!