Peter Edward Mackenzie Brown (born 28 July 1967) is a British

Impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

painter popularly known as "Pete the Street" from his practice of working on location in all weathers. He is best known for his depictions of street scenes and landscapes. He loves working 'in the thick of it' painting the streets of Varanasi to Toronto and closer to home in Barcelona, Paris, London and his adopted home city of Bath. He insists on working directly from the subject refusing to use photographic reference.

Life and career

Brown was born in

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

and educated at Presentation College, Reading. He graduated in fine art from

Manchester Polytechnic Manchester Metropolitan University is located in the centre of Manchester, England. The university has over 40,000 students and over 4,000 members of staff. It is home to four faculties (Arts and Humanities, Business and Law, Health and Educat ...

in 1990. He moved to

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

in 1993, where he lives with his wife Lisa and five children, and took up painting full-time in 1995. He developed a vigorous

en plein air ''En plein air'' (; French for 'outdoors'), or ''plein air'' painting, is the act of painting outdoors. This method contrasts with studio painting or academic rules that might create a predetermined look. The theory of 'En plein air' painting ...

style, and happily interacts with passers-by while at work. "Working is like being at a party. I need to be at the centre of things," he has said. "Consciously or subconsciously, what I experience finds its way onto the canvas." Brown was elected a member of the

New English Art Club The New English Art Club (NEAC) was founded in London in 1885 as an alternative venue to the Royal Academy. It continues to hold an annual exhibition of paintings and drawings at the Mall Galleries in London, exhibiting works by both members and a ...

in 1998, and became its President in 2018. He is also a member of the Royal Society of Portrait painters, The Royal Institute of Oil Painters, The Pastel Society and is an honorary member of the Royal Society of British Artists. In 2006 he became the first Artist in Residence at the Savoy Hotel, London. In 2008 he won the Prince of Wales Award for Portrait Drawing.

Notes and references

External links

Peter Brown website.Peter Brown at Messum's.Peter Brown page on the NEAC website.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Peter 1967 births Living people 21st-century British painters 20th-century British painters Artists from Reading, Berkshire British male painters 20th-century British male artists 21st-century British male artists