Through the dynamic exploration of the contemporary landscape, Peter Hall offers a fresh perspective on scenes that we know and appreciate so well. The artist explains his rationale: ‘I count myself lucky that I have been able to pursue this creative path of being an artist, which involves expressing as best I can the things I observe that make me feel emotion. It begins with having a deep connection and love for where I am. These things that I see I try to put down on paper as a visual diary that represents not the details, but rather the experiences and feelings of my life.

‘To some it may at first seem strange that I sometimes paint African birds and wildlife and then switch to cityscapes, but to me as an artist, the challenges are much the same and it all seems a natural progression in a career that by now has spanned more than 30 years of full time painting. I always immerse myself in the places I love.

‘I try to record what I enjoy through happy snaps and sketches and go on to develop the ideas, and subsequently paintings once I get back to the studio. My work has never been about details, or trying to capture one particular object using small brushes and tiny markings. Instead it’s rather about the light or the way a scene in front of me makes me feel. Nostalgia. Mystery. Gazing through a wet window at the rain at night can engender an almost abstract and at times surreal feel to the resulting artworks.

‘To me the paintings should, at best, invoke a beautiful longing, almost a sorrowful yearning for a time I’d like to return to; familiar places – even sometimes very simple suburbs – not always obviously beautiful or picturesque. Instead places that trigger personal memories and feelings in the same way a familiar song can. These places are seen at just the right time in just the right light. Wet streets and rainy days are often filled with reflections and colours that dance in a way that defies detailing. They exaggerate mood and say so much more by letting the viewer see far less.

Peter Hall’s works are available from Candice Berman who has worked with him for over a decade. Please contact  info@candiceberman.co.za for information on available originals.

For the full article see Habitat #266 July / August 2018

 

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