Meeting the INSPIRATIONAL PETER BROWN

Adebanji and Peter Brown at Messum's


There's never an end to learning and sometimes artists keep looking for inspiration everywhere. I find myself pouring through art books, artist monographs, art history books and books in libraries, walking through galleries for endless hours, researching on the internet and walking everywhere with my eyes WIDE open to everything and anything around me. This has always been my practice and it's fun, although it can be exhausting too. But of all the sources of inspiration for artists, there's nothing like meeting other artists, especially those you admire. It's even better when you meet them at their exhibitions and also meet them at work!



Peter Brown standing with a fresh finished piece of Alexander Place on the small easel-There were also pictures that showed his progress from start to finish


Well, for the first time I was opportuned to meet Peter Brown, He has always been one of my favourites. He has a tireless work rate and his paintings and drawings of life in the city and the suburbs are simply amazing! Just check his site to see the number of cities he has painted in and the works produced!


The show front


I got an invite from Messums to meet up with him on a Saturday morning, when all galleries on Cork Street where having an open day. Immediately I got into the exhibition I met him and we couldn't stop talking, about art and everything about painting outside and all that. I got to ask him one question I love to ask any artist I admire, and it was "Which artist has influenced you the most?" He said Ken Howard, Alfred Sisley and Walter Sickert and many of the impressionists.


He changes his hats as the sun comes in with blinding light

I also met him at work in Bath and got some pictures of him while painting on Gay Street. The great encouragement and buzz artists can have on each other can be amazing and after I met him I was inspired to do 10 pieces of 6" x 8" in ONE DAY, for my current Bath Marathon which I'll be sharing later this week. Stay tuned!



Little message of encouragement on his Exhibition Catalogue-who can read exactly what was written, there's a prize for the first winner!

Sketches on the bus, train and tube in October II

These are the sketches that got me back to my routine! It's always a good feeling when the pen flows and the hand and eye co-ordination is sharper. Lack of practice is deadly!

Sketches on the bus, train and tube in October I

Getting into my routine sketches hasn't been easy and I am really struggling, but the good thing is-I'll be using a more of public transport before I head back to Bath.

Some artists that caught my attention at the Bath Prize 2010

Judges (Artists) with Winning piece.


The Bath Prize is running for the second year and it was great to see an exhibition that featured wonderful works of art to celebrate Bath, a world heritage City. This year I didn't take part but I was part of the judging panel which consisted of Bath gallery owner and artist Nick Cudworth, who was the chair, The Bath Chronicle Editor, Sam Holliday, The director of The Holbourne Museum, Dr Alexander Sturgis and The Inspirational Bath Artist, Irene Marsh. The winners can be seen on the Bath Prize Website. The exhibition is still on at Bath, it runs till the 9th of October at the Octagon, Milsom Street.

This post is just a short review of some works that I really loved. Sometimes you leave the exhibition hall and just need to go back again and again to study, and just stand in awe at the wonderful pieces on display. This is exactly what happened to me. I looked through the whole exhibition again, for about three hours on the opening Saturday but, still had to go back on Tuesday before I left Bath to get a closer feel of the exhibition. It has been great to discover new artists all inspired by Bath! I remain spellbound by the City and I just love it!

1 Scott Rayson


"BATH RUGBY KING"-This is a sublime and accurate pencil rendering, a wonder to behold! The beauty of the Graphite pencil at work in linear labour!

2 Roger Dellar


"RAIN AGAIN"-You won't understand, if only you planned to paint in Bath!! It's a wonderful grey day of Bath in gloom. The front figures add scale to the work and the rectangular format, with the pole dividing the painting into beautiful unequal halves! One of Rogers work won the Best Oil based painting.

3 Sandra Raven


"LUNCH TIME IN BATH"- It's just a heartwarming piece with an illustrative touch. I just love the kind of story behind it.

4 Mark Reynolds


"STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN"-Sublime detail in watercolour, almost pencil-fine like in appearance.

5 Jonathan Mulvaney


"SUMMER SHOWER, ABBEY SQUARE"-I wish I could see more of his work. It's one of my best pieces. I love it because the Composition works as a abstract. It is also full of mood and mysterious warm darks! This piece won the best Water Based Work in the Exhibition.

6 Stephen Bishop


"THE STONE STEPS, BATH"-An amazing piece that is full of harmonious streaks of broken colour, worked well with a palette knife. It is wonderful to behold!

7 Susan Edwards


"DRAMA, ROMANCE, HISTORY, NOCTURNE"-One of my best pieces. I just love the sheer ambition in the heart of this artist. The colours, the scale and the paint application all tell the story of Bath!

8 Dennis Roxby Bott RWS


"GREAT PULTENEY STREET"-A deft piece of pleasure with watercolour. It is draughtsmanship at it's best. A great British watercolour!

9 Roy Connelly


"BUSKING AT THE ABBEY"-A rare little gem! Capturing the atmosphere in a moments time. The musician is carefully placed and balances the whole piece, I love it!

10 David Pilgrim


"RAINY DAY, BROAD STREET"-One of my favourite pieces in the exhibition. The colour of rain has never looked so beautiful, yet so lovely painted. A true test of endurance in the rain by a skillful plein air painter. One of his works also won the best small painting. He also won the Golden Umbrella for Enduring the rain, picture below.



11 Gerald Cains


"TWERTON PARK"-It's just the sheer ambition and energy to produce works of this scale that interests me, great ambition! This piece came third overall in the Bath Prize.



Gerald with his painting

12 Adrian Sykes


"BUILDINGS OF BATH"-The skill and labour of the ORDINARY PENCIL is at work here! This piece is mystery! Careful rendition, yet full of tonal graduation of atmospheric perspective. It's a delight to behold! This piece WON the BATH PRIZE!

13 Jonty Saville


"PARADE GARDENS MEMORIAL"- It is my obsession for drawing that makes me fall in love with this piece. It's linear quality is superb with felt washes of what I think may have been done with a Tombow brush marker.

14 Alan Reed


"THE ROYAL CRESCENT, BATH"-This is what I call "looseness and precision". It is only when you look closer, would you see the quality of loose washes that all add up to an impression of detail when looked at from a far! Brilliant! This piece was the runner-up in the Bath Prize.



That's Alan with his pocket sketchbook, the image opened is one he did of the Roman Baths. He met me while I was on my third Marathon, painting on Gay Street.

15 Bob Child


"LAURA PLACE 2"- It's the simplicity of watercolour here, that caught my attention. Very bold and simple-makes up for a neat piece!

16 Karl Terry


"WET MORNING, BATH ABBEY"- I have been here in wet conditions and this piece justifies the colours and mood. It isn't easy as it seems and Karl makes a good impression of the whole atmosphere on a wet day.

17 Lisa Shearing


"SHEEP GRAZING AT LANDSDOWN CRESCENT"-An amazing piece, better seen in real life at the exhibition.I just kept coming back to it. It has something mysterious about it, but yet it could be my love of the sheep. I have been at this spot and it has been captured superbly in blazing acrylic!

Bath Marathon III Day 7, 8 and 9

Here marks the end of Bath Marathon III! All Glory to God! I'm getting closer and closer to the 200 mark for the exhibition at the Bath Gallery in November. If you are in or around the UK in November, don't miss it if you love OIL PAINTINGS or the Beauty of Plein air work. I'll update you with the exact dates asap.



143-This was a cold morning from the top of St Stephens Road, from there a nice sky view of the city can be seen.



144-This is a spectacular view from Landsdown Place West, I just loved the winding road and the "zoomy" feel it gives.



145-Doric House, "Wonderful picture of extraordinary re-creation of Greek temple; house built for Thomas Barker in 1805; some of his work can be seen in the Holburne Museum in Bath. One wall of interior of house is a fresco by Barker of the massacre of Scio by the Turks 1822: alas, no public access..."-Richard Camp. I just loved the sight of this extra-ordinary building called Doric House. I painted it from Cavendish Crescent.



146-This is pure Landscape view of the Golf Course from Cavendish Crescent.



147-This is a view of Cavendish Crescent from the Golf Course.



148-I didn't want to miss out the Jane Austen Centre in Bath, they were holding a festival at the time I painted this and all around the area you could see ladies and men dressed up in the kind of attire she wore in those days. There were 2 guys in this painting, standing in front of the railing in the same position for a long time, so I decided to add them. They later came to see themselves in it and took a picture with the painting!



149,150-This is my best place in Bath(Kingsmead Square), I love it so much! I have done a view of this place before but not with the blazing sunlight and big tree in focus. This had to be a double for me to get the magnitude of the tree.


151-Bath Rugby had just finished a game at the Bath Rugby grounds and as I was passing by the parade gardens, I saw this fantastic view of the pitch lighted up with the floodlights in the night. I gave it a go and was pleased with the result.



152-This is one of the paradise spots in Bath. The Sham Bridge in Prior Park. I enjoyed every bit of this one!



153-This is a pure landscape view of Palladian Bridge, Prior Park. I'll still need to get closer shot of this bridge, as it is just a beauty!



154,155- Yepeee!!!! Number 155!!! I couldn't really smile as it was really cold! A wonderful building of the Prior Park College. It had a lovely all round landscape feel to it I had to justify this with a double.