PETER SYMONDS
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Devon & Cornwall The Alps Surrey Isle of Skye, Scotland Highlands, Scotland The Cotswolds
PETER SYMONDS
PETER SYMONDS 25 SEPTEMBER – 9 OCTOBER 2015 As William Blake once said, “Great things are done when men and mountains meet; this is not done by jostling in the street.” Upon reading this, it became apparent to me how true this is in respect of Peter and his magnificent works of art. Providing the source of his creation and drive, the alpine landscape and the freedom that one can find there, have inspired many of Peter’s best paintings. It is often that in braving the most severe of conditions at inhospitable times, Peter is able to find truly breathtaking scenes that stimulate him to craft his exceptional paintings, allowing us the viewers, a glimpse into what this beautiful world can really offer. Peter’s innate skill at finding the most tranquil scenes throughout our green and pleasant land, and capturing them on canvas, serves to remind us why we all love this country. It is this quality, when combined with his tremendous painting skill that makes his paintings both enjoyable and collectable. We strongly recommend you to come and view the collection and its’ exhibition. It is a deeply uplifting experience, which transports you to locations often only dreamed of. We are proud to be able to bring this to you all.
Devon & Cornwall
Mother Ivey’s Bay, Cornwall Oil on Canvas • 9” x 12” • 20 x 23 cms
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Cadgwith, Cornwall Oil on Canvas • 14” x 11” • 36 x 28 cms
A British Summer never feels quite complete without a trip to the beautiful counties of Cornwall and Devon. This is one of our favourite villages in Cornwall, tucked away on the Lizard Peninsula, which is the southernmost point of mainland Britain. We love to watch all the hustle and bustle on this working beach, particularly when the fishermen winch their boats up the shore on old weathered logs before unloading their catches.
PETER SYMONDS • Devon & Cornwall
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Batson Creek, Salcombe, Devon Oil on Canvas • 10” x 12” • 25 x 30 cms 8
The Ship Inn, Noss Mayo, Devon Oil on Canvas • 10” x 10” • 25 x 25 cms PETER SYMONDS • Devon & Cornwall
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The Alps
Mont Miné, Val d’Hérens, Swiss Alps Oil on Canvas • 26” x 40” • 66 x 102 cms
A great cluster of shapely peaks marks the head of Val d’Hérens, a world so unlike the Rhone Valley far below, into which its river flows northwards. I have a strong urge to capture these scenes on canvas, as the glaciers and icefields of the Alps are disappearing at an alarming rate. It is predicted that within a generation most of the glaciers will have all but vanished, leaving a grey, denuded landscape so unlike the beautiful places so many of us have enjoyed up until now. The glacial silt and meltwater that pour from the snouts of the glaciers are responsible for creating this extraordinary turquoise and opaque colour in the lake, which provides such a restful foreground to the drama of the peaks above.
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PETER SYMONDS • The Alps
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The Matterhorn is one of the world’s most familiar and shapely mountains and despite seeing numerous photos and paintings of it, I was still awestruck by its incredible profile as we reached this viewpoint about a thousand metres above Zermatt. During the week ahead and seeing it from several different angles, I was curious to notice that it seemed to look more impressive the further we were from it.
The Matterhorn from Hohbalmen Oil on Canvas • 7” x 10” • 18 x 25 cms 14
Mont Collon from above Arolla, Val d’Hérens, Switzerland Oil on Canvas • 12” x 16” • 30 x 40 cms PETER SYMONDS • The Alps
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The Allalinhorn from Ofental, Saastal, Switzerland Oil on Canvas • 16” x 26” • 40 x 66 cms
It was only a few years ago that I first clearly saw the Alps as fertile ground for my work. I am increasingly fascinated in portraying the majesty of these mountains, and this long excursion deep into the Saastal region of Switzerland was an unforgettable experience. A stream or river always makes a good lead-in to a painting, and a study of the walker’s map, hinted that the beautiful Ofental would provide a perfect foil to the awesome mountain scenery across the valley. Just to the right of the Allalinhorn, the Mittelallalin, the world’s highest revolving restaurant can just be seen perched on a rocky outcrop. The classy ski resort of Saas Fee is nearby, and the famous Brittania Hut is tucked away to the right of the picture.
PETER SYMONDS • The Alps
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Lago Smeraldo and Monte Rosa, Italy Oil on Canvas • 8” x 12” • 20 x 30 cms
About eight miles south of Saas Fee, the Monte Moro Pass – on the border between Italy and Switzerland – had been our objective for the day. It offers superb views over Monte Rosa, the highest mountain in the Swiss Alps. The huge eastern face is also the highest wall of rock in the Alps, and because it frequently clouds over by midday, we had to make an early start. We were rewarded with great conditions, but were equally entranced by the vivid colours in this beautiful frozen tarn, just below the Italian side of the pass.
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PETER SYMONDS • The Alps
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Surrey
The Hurtwood is a large privately-owned woodland, criss-crossed by numerous paths and mountain bike tracks, on the slopes of the Surrey Hills. Holmbury Hill with its bronze age hill fort is the highest viewpoint, with farreaching views over the weald towards the South Downs and the sea to the south. The woodland is named after the hurts or more commonly named bilberries that proliferate here during midsummer. This was painted on a late December afternoon and I particularly enjoyed capturing the backlight seen filtering through the wood and the young beech tree that still held some of its autumnal leaves.
The Hurtwood, Surrey Oil on Canvas • 12” x 15” • 30 x 38 cms 22
Autumn, below Leith Hill, Surrey Oil on Canvas • 7” x 14” • 18 x 36 cms PETER SYMONDS • Surrey
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An Evening Walk, Surrey Oil on Canvas • 8” x 12” • 20 x 30 cms 24
An Autumn Morning, Friday Street, Surrey Oil on Canvas • 9” x 12” • 23 x 30 cms PETER SYMONDS • Surrey
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Newlands Corner, Surrey Oil on Canvas • 20” x 30” • 50 x 76 cms
With its far reaching vista over gently rolling hills, this pastoral scene has to be a top contender for the best viewpoint in Surrey. With easy access and a large car park it must be the most visited too, and rightly so. I grew up only a few miles from here, and together with the nearby River Wey, this was the type of scenery that first fired my imagination to become a landscape painter.
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PETER SYMONDS • Surrey
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This is the most picturesque village in our neighbourhood, a point not lost on the film industry in recent years. On the first journey to our new home nearly ten years ago we were surprised to see unseasonal fake snow covering much of the village, with film crews cordoned off behind red and white tape. Although it was a poor film, we enjoyed watching “The Holiday” soon after, and picking out all the locations we knew. A beautiful cottage was built in the fields just behind this gate, which was the on-screen home of Kate Winslet. Despite being only a very convincing façade, it attracted the attention of more than one person who asked the local estate agent to let them know when it next came onto the market!
Shere under Snow, Surrey Oil on Canvas • 10” x 14” • 25 x 36 cms 28
Winter’s Rustic Colours, The Surrey Hills Oil on Canvas • 14” x 28” • 36 x 70 cms PETER SYMONDS • Surrey
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Isle of Skye, Scotland
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The Fairy Pools, Isle of Skye Oil on Canvas • 16” x 24” • 40 x 60 cms
Located towards the head of Glen Brittle, this delightful burn tumbles down from the western flanks of Sgurr an Fheadain in the Cuillin, in a succession of beautiful pools and little waterfalls. This scene is depicted on a late morning in mid May during a time of very transitional weather. The sun had been shining in a largely cloudless sky a few hours before and the view had been lacking in any atmosphere. Knowing that a weatherfront was about to push through, I waited for the clouds to take the brightness off the landscape so the eye could be drawn more intently onto the little cascade and the light reflecting off the water.
PETER SYMONDS • Isle of Skye, Scotland
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Marsco from Loch Caol, Isle of Skye Oil on Canvas • 43” x 59” • 110 x 150 cms
After many years of walking in the mountains, I have come to love maps, and get a lot of pleasure out of studying them, both to work out routes and to find potential sites to paint. Our Ordnance Survey maps are in my opinion the best and easiest to use in the world, and are far superior to those I have used in the Alps and further afield. I had wanted to do a large painting of this lovely mountain for many years, and before my last trip to Skye, had noticed this loch on the map. I hadn’t seen it from the road before and guessing the water would make a fine foreground to any future painting, I was excited to visit and then find it went way beyond my expectations.
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For many years I have gazed longingly up at the Cuillin, but due to my mountaineering inexperience, Vanessa has forbidden me up until now, to venture onto their tops. With precipitous drops and loose rock, these jagged hills are a mountaineer’s playground. Harsh terrain with difficult route-finding and very fickle weather also makes the Cuillin a dangerous place for the novice to visit. Last year as part of a way to soften the blow of turning 50, a friend and I set out for a couple of days with an experienced guide to help us get on to some of the tops, including the hardest of them, the wonderfully named “Inaccessible Pinnacle”. A leading member of the local Mountain Rescue Unit, Tony did a great job in getting us to our destinations safely. After one long day, having just returned to the walkers bar in the Sligachan Hotel, he was immediately called back to take part in a dangerous evening rescue that went on until the early hours of the following morning. We were incredibly impressed by his dedication, let alone his fitness, but the numerous call-outs that are made each year testify to the danger these mountains present.
Sgurr Nan Gillean from Am Basteir, Isle of Skye Oil on Canvas • 8” x 12” • 20 x 30 cms 36
Bla Bheinn from Marsco, Isle of Skye Oil on Canvas • 10” x 16” • 25 x 40 cms PETER SYMONDS • Isle of Skye, Scotland
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The Cuillin from Sligachan, Isle of Skye Oil on Canvas • 39” x 59” • 100 x 150 cms
After nearly 30 years of painting the British landscape, I have become well accustomed to dealing with the vagaries of our notoriously fickle weather. In seeking to find good subject matter, in the best possible conditions, one often has to be prepared to make an early start, or a long walk, often with frequent soakings. There are the inevitable disappointing outings, but I now know that successful paintings are often found during periods of inclement weather and at dawn or dusk. A case in point can be made with the day I started work on this painting. A friend and I had arrived on the Isle of Skye, after a four day backpacking trip in the Central Highlands, where I had struggled to find ideas for future work. Relishing the prospect of a long sleep in a comfortable bed, I still woke before five o’clock, with most of my instincts shouting at me to go back to sleep! However, I couldn’t resist taking a peek through the curtains, where I was greeted by a magnificent dawn. Within 20 minutes I was walking over the moorland towards this fabulous scene looking towards the Cuillin, close to Sligachan. With a beautiful sky and breathtaking lighting, combined with a fine composition, I knew I had all the ingredients with which to start a monumental painting. An hour or so later when much of the island would still have been asleep, the whole effect had disappeared as a weather front pushed in from the west, obscuring both the sun and the mountains.
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PETER SYMONDS • Isle of Skye, Scotland
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Highlands, Scotland
Creise and the River Etive, Glencoe Oil on Canvas • 28” x 44” • 70 x 112 cms
As one travels westwards, leaving the wild expanse of Rannoch Moor behind, Creise is the first of the three shapely mountains that stand like mighty bastions to the south of the A82, as one heads towards the coast. Not only is this some of Scotland’s finest scenery, it is also very accessible, presenting vistas that one can only normally see on foot. This landscape is a generous gift to any artist who revels in portraying our wilder scenery. The weather had been calm for a week or so, and the River Etive, now flowing at a gentler pace, provided a wonderful soft mirror to the scene above. At this lower level, there was also the opportunity to indulge myself in painting these lovely rocks that would normally be more covered. Vanessa and I climbed this mountain many years ago. We were still a few hundred feet from the top when we saw a huge RAF Hercules aircraft far below us, twisting around the mountain before flying down Glen Etive. The hill to the left of the painting that is still holding some snow is host to the Glen Coe Ski Centre.
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PETER SYMONDS • Highlands, Scotland
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Standing beside the River Coupall opposite its more famous neighbour – Buachaille Etive Mor – this stunning mountain presents a fabulous sight to those who venture through Glencoe. I hadn’t painted it before, and under its raiment of snow, it provided a fascinating lesson in capturing the intricate shifts of tone between the blue cast of the shadows and the brighter sunlit parts. I stood for well over an hour in windy sub-zero temperatures making my studies for this painting, and was as cold as I have ever been in the Scottish mountains.
Sunset, Buachaille Etive Mor, Glencoe Oil on Canvas • 12” x 9” • 20 x 23 cms 44
Buachaille Etive Beag, Glencoe Oil on Canvas • 10” x 15” • 25 x 38 cms PETER SYMONDS • Highlands, Scotland
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Beinn Dearg, Torridon Oil on Canvas • 9” x 15” • 23 x 38 cms 46
Liathach is one of the pre-eminent mountains in mainland Scotland, providing a popular and classic walk with some great scrambling, particularly over the Pinnacles. Having noticed this beautiful lochan, glistening in the sun far below while traversing the ridge the day before, I had determined to visit it with an eye to painting this superb scenery. Following a very faint path, probably only used by the occasional climber, I walked up into the corrie and was transfixed by the magnificent surroundings of the lochan. I wasn’t alone though, as for most of the way up I was being observed by a very impressive stag who kept vanishing out of sight, only to reappear further up as I ventured deeper into his sanctuary.
Glas Toll Lochain, Liathach Oil on Canvas • 12” x 10” • 30 x 25 cms PETER SYMONDS • Highlands, Scotland
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Slioch and Lochan Fada Oil on Canvas • 20” x 48” • 50 x 122 cms
The shapely bulk of Slioch is a very picturesque and familiar site to all who make the wonderful journey north along Loch Maree. Personally though, I prefer the angle from this sublime vantage point from the more remote shores of Lochan Fada, a few hours walk to the north of Kinlochewe, in the north-west highlands. As so often, an early start provided a memorable opportunity to see the Scottish landscape looking its best. There are few places I would rather be when confronted with a panorama like this under such atmospheric conditions. The effect was fleeting though as the wind quickly removed all the reflections, and the lovely cloud formations were soon replaced as the sun rose further into a clearing sky.
PETER SYMONDS • Highlands, Scotland
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The Black Mount from Rannoch Moor Oil on Canvas • 14” x 28” • 36 x 70 cms
Early February saw much of the Scottish Highlands looking and feeling decidedly arctic. Based in the isolated Kingshouse Hotel, I was in a prime location to explore some of the finest, yet most accessible, mountain scenery in Scotland. Anyone who drives north along this section of the A82 cannot fail to be impressed by the magnificent hills that can be viewed across the desolate expanse of Rannoch Moor. There is a genuine feel of wilderness here, and it would be a brave or foolhardy person who would set off in poor weather across this harsh landscape, which is inundated with small lochans and numerous bogs. I chose this view, just off the road beside Lochan Na Stainge, looking towards the twin hills of Clach Leathad and Meall a’Bhuiridh, known inappropriately on this day as the Black Mount. The northern slopes of Meall a’Bhuiridh hold the ski runs of the Glen Coe Ski Centre, which was doing brisk business during my stay. There were some beautiful cold tones in the snow, as it picked up the colours from the clear blue sky. It was great fun too, painting the small sunlit areas where the landscape presented itself to the warm glow of the setting sun.
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PETER SYMONDS • Highlands, Scotland
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Lower Slaughter, the Cotswolds Oil on Canvas • 8” x 12” • 20 x 30 cms PETER SYMONDS • The Cotswolds
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