Art began to
interest me from age 9ish and I followed it through the usual O
and A level to foundation at Middx university, finally
embarking on a 3 yr degree course in Graphic design.....which I grew
to loathe so much that I left 2 months before the finals! That experience
left me feeling utterly disappointed that I did nothing artistic
for about 9 years.
At age 17, a well meaning relative had given me an 80 box set of
Caran d'Ache pencils as a birthday present, at the time I remember
thinking that a pair of socks would have been preferable! The pencils
were duly filed in the 'wait for a discreet length of time before
disposal' draw and there they stayed untouched through my college
years.
One fine English summers day, when it was absolutely pouring with
rain, I was stuck indoors with nothing to do and suddenly got the
urge to create. I opened the tin of pencils, started drawing and
have not looked back since. Currently I am a member of the UKCPS
and SGFA and have been fortunate enough to have won a few exhibition
prizes from both.
I have had numerous private commissions and managed to convince a
couple of gallery owners that there is a market for colour pencil.
Although I don't have any particular specialist subject matter, the
themes of contrast, detail and reflection are usually present in
my work with attention to detail becoming increasingly more important
to me over the last few years.
I work predominantly in colour pencil as this medium allows the artist
total and absolute control which is a key factor when trying to achieve
graphic realism, something I have always strived for.
Colour pencil is a medium that deserves a great deal more serious
recognition than it currently receives. The efforts of the UKCPS
and websites such as Scribble are all helping this cause, however,
there is a long way to go.
With that I would just like to thank Gemma for this opportunity to
share my work with others.
Regards,
Alastair
