PETER DAVIS

There's a point at which the act of painting and the inherent action of nature align themselves and that frequently happens in watercolour.

I consider it the most natural of all the painting mediums, comprising pigment, a binder, and water, the drying process leaving the pigment on the surface.

The two extremes of stillness and flow and the myriad activity between the two are what make watercolour, for me, the most natural medium with which to depict the extremes of the Northern landscapes.

Orkney, and now Shetland, have been my home for the last forty-three years and it continues to provide a source of excitement and exploration. I have no wish to simply record what I see. I do not seek sedate topographies often associated with the term ‘watercolour landscapes’. Instead I prefer the uncertain balance between abstraction and reality with an outstanding but often unpredictable medium.

DOG FRIENDLY | VENUE 46 | 10:00 - 17:00

'Gruggy'. Watercolour, bodycolour & chalk on paper 2024. The title refers to wet, threatening or unpleasant weather. It is a Shetland weather word from Old Norse.

'Tömald'. Watercolour, bodycolour and chalk on paper 2024. The title is a weather word found in Shetland, though possibly Scots in origin, and refers to a downpour of rain.

'Runks'. Watercolour, bodycolour and chalk on paper 2023. The title is also a Shetland weather word which describes a very heavy swell in the sea. My studio and house face out to the sea at Silwick in Shetland which is a constant source of inspiration.