Orange jug and cactus, acrylic on paper, 50cm x 40cm
Cactus and smoking skull, acrylic on canvas,120cm x 100cm
Still life and black moon, acrylic on canvas, 120cm x 100cm
Peter Arscott
Peter Arscott was born in Peru in 1954 and came to school in England at the age of 13. He studied at Bristol University before moving to Barcelona, where he worked as a teacher and had a number of solo and group exhibitions. He returned to live in London in 1983, working as a Blue Badge guide and exhibiting at various galleries. He now lives and works in Ledbury. Recent exhibitions include the Royal West of England Academy Open Exhibition, Bristol in Autumn 2007; O'Connor Gallery, Toronto, Canada in 2008; and also last year, Art London, The Affordable Art Fair, London and The Affordable Art Fair, Amsterdam, all with the Edgar Modern gallery. Peter won the Galanthus Gallery prize at the h.Art Open Exhibition, Hereford in 2008.
I either use 'still life' or the simple shape of the table as a starting point, aware that most of us associate still life with meals, displays, fruit, utensils, altars, rituals and so on.
These paintings are figurative in that they refer to objects – but because they are not copies of nature, they are also abstract to the degree necessary for paintings. Once everything is in place, and with the boundaries set by the still life motif, I paint very quickly, without a precise intention, allowing elements to appear in response to factors in the painting itself until the way ahead is clear.
Peter Arscott, 2009