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There In Brighouse he found everything he needed to test his skills and start his life in art: its factories, stone built houses, colours, shapes and people. Initially he used thick paints, but this didn't give him the effect he wanted. This came when he began to mix very fine sandstone from a nearby quarry into the paint for the buildings, which gave them more substance and more power and was contrasted with his smooth sky lines which might be made using rags, rollers or his fingers. Peter Brook’s life is entwined within his paintings, from the streets of Brighouse to the pathos of Hannah Hauxwell,From the fierce competitiveness of the fell-runner or sheep-dog trialist to the strong emotional attachment with all his subjects, whether human, animal, building or landscape. |
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Peter has been painting for over forty years, has held numerous exhibitions and published a number of books. His now famous trademark of signing in red ink and including his dog (and often himself) on each painting began as a way to stop his work being copied, and now make his work instantly recognizable. In the words of one collector, “Like the man himself, Peter’s work provides a welcome ray of light.”
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For Peter the title is very much an important part of the painting, adding poetry and humour to the paintings whilst also making the observer think, as the title may not always be obvious when first looking at the paintingThe trademark of Peter Brook's paintings is one man and his dog. He is the man, the dog is Shep who unfortunately is no longer with us. He died June 2004 aged 12-and-a-half and his framed photograph has pride of place on the hearth."I just imagine he's still around," says Peter. "He is really because he's in every picture I do. They don't look finished until we've got ourselves in there and I've got a good title."Peter is still trying to make the adjustment to being Border collie-less. Shep was the third in a line which goes back decades.One of the formative events of his life occurred when he was a schoolmaster. "I was teaching the first form and asked them if anyone had any pets – rabbits or guinea pigs – they could bring in that we could draw. One of the girls said, 'we've just had some puppies, can I bring one of those?'"It was a border collie. I was so enchanted I was invited to the farm and they gave me a pup. We called it Tip. It was very gentle, my wife's dog really. The next dog was a tough nut, Tess. She was my dog. Shep, who followed, was unique. So friendly and beautiful."Peter has made a living as an artist for 40 years. He has never fallen out of fashion because he has never tried to be in it. What about the textured effect he achieves when painting a farmhouse wall? He pulls out a tin and shakes out some quarry dust he has collected to mix into the oil paint when required.Peter's work is a celebration of the "fragile beauty" of the Yorkshire Moors. He paints them as they are: sturdy, yes; dour, sometimes; but fragile? I don't think so. |
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