HOW I PAINT: Peter Graham

This daring Glaswegian artist is a modern successor to the Scottish Colourists and here he shares his thoughts on bold brushwork, pigment choices, and knowing when to stop

- Peter Graham

Born in Glasgow in 1959, Peter Graham studied at Glasgow School of Art under a number of high-profile and influential tutors including Barbara Rae. After a short career as a film editor at the BBC, he turned to painting full-time in 1986.

Peter was elected to the Royal Institute of Oil Painters in 2001, serving as vice president for two years from 2004. He is also a member of the Paisley Art Institute. He wrote a book, An Introduction to Painting Still Life, which was published by David & Charles in 2002.

There are plenty of far-flung destinations in your paintings. Have the travel restrictions of the last two years changed your focus at all?

My range of subjects takes me to the south of France on a regular basis and then also the north of Scotland – the Western Isles is a big part of the work that I do. Then there’s Cambridge, London, New York.

All the UK work is continuing but the foreign work, that’s been put on hold and I’m not travelling to those countries at the moment. And then, of course, the studio work has become the centre of my universe. That’s been the progress. I always like to think of it as “progress” – you have to have a positive outlook.

What shape has that progress taken?