Town views depiced in retrospective show

An exhibition of work by the late Newark artist, Peter Brannan, is on display in the Spotlight Gallery in Newark Town Hall until April 17.

Peter, who was born in 1926 and died in 1994, taught art in Newark for 30 years.

He trained at the Leicester School of Art and was a member of the Royal Society of British artists and the Lincolnshire Society of Artists.

A retrospective of his work was held at the Goldmark Gallery, Uppingham. He was a regular contributor of magazine articles on fellow artists.

Although Peter’s home was in Welbourn, he rented a cottage in Mount Lane, Newark.

His studio overlooked the churchyard and he painted a trompe l’oeil mural on the winding staircase, an Italian vista, and began to fill the place with his antique collection.

Peter’s work in the Newark exhibition depicts life and the artist’s personal reactions to landscape and places.

Favourite subjects which he used for inspiration are seascapes, architecture and the occasional portrait.

He painted many scenes of Newark, some of which are on display in this exhibition. He preferred to paint ordinary things and was concerned with good drawing, tone and subtle colour. Most of his work was done in his studio, from memory.

The work on display in Peter Brannan Retrospective has mostly come from private owners.