An Interview with Accounts Director and Artist Wayne Peachey
Wayne Peachey
is an Accounts Director at our offices in Tamworth. Whilst busy on a range of
projects during the week, in his spare time he’s a thriving artist whose work
is currently on display at the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery in Swansea. We
caught up with him to find out a little more about his creative passion.
Wayne
has had an interest in art from an early age. Inspired by his grandfather,
he took up oil painting as a teen and very much enjoyed working with the
medium. Deciding to enhance his skills, he went to art college before training
as a graphic designer and moving into computer graphics. A busy and successful
career can take up a lot of time, so it’s great to hear that Wayne returned to
painting a few years ago and commits many hours to focusing on each piece he
creates. This, he says, is a satisfying contrast to the immediacy that
technology brings in other areas of his life.
“I love
impressionism for the colours and because subjects are described minimally
using expressive brushstrokes,” says Wayne when asked about the inspiration
behind his work. “I find my natural style to be a bit more descriptive than
that and I always find I need to avoid ‘overworking’ the painting. I also feel
it’s important to adapt my style to suit the subject, to evoke feeling and
mood.”
Wayne says that
his style is evolving, as he’s previously concentrated on drawing skills and
colour but is now bringing more emotion into his work. Thanks to his beautiful
style, he’s sold a few paintings and been accepted by large exhibitions, but
his main focus is in improving through experimentation and practice: “I’m not
currently constrained by a brief, or by expectations of what may be commercially
successful,” he adds.
'Fishmongers’
(above) was based on a photo that Wayne took in Swansea Market: “I loved the
way the fish was so perfectly presented, the moment shared between the
fishmongers, and the modern elements (phone, baseball cap) which bring it right
up to date, otherwise it could have been painted fifty years ago. I found a
space to the right of the painting that needed filling, so placed myself in
there reading a newspaper.”
Meanwhile, ‘Man
on Deckchair’ (above) is based on a photo he took on Brighton Pier. Wayne says
that everyone who sees it smiles and says it could be their dad or grandfather,
giving it a familiar quality that people instantly relate to. The artist also
placed a subtle joke in there, as the man is sleeping next to a sign warning
people against running, swimming or jumping from the pier – a far cry from his
relaxed activity.
“I use oil
paints on a blank canvas and typically start with a painted monochrome sketch,”
Wayne tells us. “Once the tones are roughly correct, I add colour, building up layers
of paint. The first objective is to make things look ‘right’. Oil paints have a
distinctive character and never turn out quite like a photograph, so there is a
moment halfway through every painting when something unique appears and I try
to work with that to create an interesting result.”
Wayne’s work
has received a lot of attention. The Sky Arts Artist of the Year competition
(above) is a TV series that alternates between portraits and landscapes. Each
episode has eight main artists, mostly professional, and a group of wildcard
entrants who are also judged. The artists are given four hours to create an
image of the subject: “I was lucky to be chosen as one of the wildcard
group for the past two years and appeared on TV in 2017 when the competition visited
Rhossili in Wales,” he explains. “Logistics and weather play an important part.
In 2018 at Broadstairs in Kent, the weather was windy, chilling and damp. Not
quite ‘studio perfect’ conditions and all the more enjoyable for it.”
Going forward,
Wayne will soon start on a self-portrait for entry into a competition, and then
continue with landscapes: “I’m experimenting with more atmospheric results
depicting poor weather, probably an appropriate theme in the UK at this time of
year!”
He also plans to build upon his fishmongers painting and create a series based on other interesting stalls in the same market. Entering this year’s Sky Arts for both landscapes and portraits is also in the pipeline: “If I can be a wildcard again that would be awesome and my ultimate goal is to be accepted as a main artist.”
If you’d like to see Wayne’s work up close, it’s currently on display as part of The Swansea Open Finalists exhibition at the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery until Saturday 2 February. This is a shortlist of thousands of entries from artists living in West Wales. If you can’t make it to Swansea, you can view and purchase his work on ArtFinder.
“My artistic side has definitely helped with my Accounts Director role with SGS Packaging Europe, from understanding client brand strategy to colour management,” adds Wayne. “My technical skills help to achieve the desired results on the final packaging, skills that trace way back to printmaking workshops as a student. I know that my art feeds into my work, and vice versa. SGS has incredible talent in all areas and I learn new things every day; it’s great to work in such a multi-talented and diverse environment.”
