Since 1993 Peter Brown has constantly been inspired by the architecture and life of the world famous Georgian city. He has become a familiar figure painting street scenes of Bath – so much so that he is affectionately known as ‘Pete the Street’.
Over the years Peter has applied his undoubted talent to a number of other British cities and towns such as London, Oxford, Cambridge, Cardiff, Chichester and Henley-on-Thames. He is an all weather painter of street scenes and landscapes working directly from his subject throughout the year.
Peter rarely paints in the studio preferring to work directly from the subject sometimes the foulest of weathers. Brown works in charcoal, oil and pastel for which he has received numerous awards at various national exhibitions.
Peter Brown has established a distinctive and vigorous en plein air style. He happily interacts with passers-by while painting. Talking about his paintings Peter Brown says:
“I work entirely from life using the cities and the countryside as my subjects. I start with what tickles me and this is likely to be a certain play of the light, weather, space and everyday life. Most of my drawings and paintings take several sittings over consecutive days and in that time I may meet police officers, dog walkers, road sweepers, residents and tourists.”
In 2006 Peter Brown was invited to be the first Artist in Residence at The Savoy Hotel, London. He has also featured in a number of BBC radio and television programmes.
In 1998 Peter Brown was elected a member of The New English Art Club. He is also a member of The Pastel Society, The Royal institute of Oil Painters and Bath Society of Artists.
Peter Edward Mackenzie Brown (born 28 July 1967) is a British Impressionist painter popularly known as “Pete the Street” from his practice of working on location in all weathers. He is best known for his depictions of street scenes and landscapes.
He loves working ‘in the thick of it’ painting the streets of Varanasi to Toronto and closer to home in Barcelona, Paris, London and his adopted home city of Bath. He insists on working directly from the subject refusing to use photographic reference.
Life and career
Brown was born in Reading and educated at Presentation College, Reading. He graduated in fine art from Manchester Polytechnic in 1990. He moved to Bath in 1993, where he lives with his wife Lisa and five children, and took up painting full-time in 1995. He developed a vigorous en plein air style, and happily interacts with passers-by while at work.
“Working is like being at a party. I need to be at the centre of things,” he has said. “Consciously or subconsciously, what I experience finds its way onto the canvas.”
Brown was elected a member of the New English Art Club in 1998. He is also a member of the Royal Society of Portrait painters, The Royal Institute of Oil Painters, The Pastel Society and is an honorary member of the Royal Society of British Artists.
He is represented by Messum’s in Cork Street, London, and also shows regularly at the Victoria Art Gallery, Bath. In 2006 he became the first Artist in Residence at the Savoy Hotel, London. In 2008 he won the Prince of Wales Award for Portrait Drawing.
