Peter Davis

Peter Davis, RSW

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. I have painted this subject for more than 35 years and it continues to provide a source of excitement and exploration. The paintings become a distillation of the landscape in which the subject is so often watery. Watercolour plays by nature’s rules; it obeys gravity, in most cases, flows, puddles, desiccates, and finally dries. In my view there's nothing to compete with watercolour and its symbiotic relationship with the natural world.

Peter lives and works in Silwick, Shetland and the Northern Isles have been his inspiration for the past thirty-five years. He has exhibited both nationally and internationally and works regularly with a number of galleries. He is a founder member of the Shetland artist’s group, Veer North. He taught Art & Design for over thirty years in both Orkney and Shetland. In 2023 Peter was awarded the John Busby Award at the 142nd RSW Open. He was elected to the RSW in September 2023.