Brett Humphries
I have always had a keen interest in the arts, taking A levels in graphic design, photography and fine art, then continuing with a one year foundation course in art which confirmed that painting is my passion.
About the Artist
I have always had a keen interest in the arts, taking A levels in graphic design, photography and fine art, then continuing with a one year foundation course in art which confirmed that painting is my passion. The last part of my formal art education was undertaking a BA Hons Degree in Scientific and Natural History Illustration at Lancaster University. It was during my final degree exhibition in London that my career took an unexpected path. I was approached by a successful CGI studio and advertising company and was asked to join them as an artist, designer and 3D sculptor. In this new position I was tasked with translating my painting skills to a new medium, computer graphics, to help the company diversify from man made subjects to more organic subjects. I worked there for 6 years but left at the beginning of 2006 to return to my southwest roots and to fulfil my long term ambition of being a professional artist.
Landscapes
The “great outdoors” has always fascinated me, I was fortunate to grow up in the beautiful countryside of Devon and Cornwall and also went on family holidays to some of the most scenic coastal and mountainous regions of the UK. I aim to create paintings that enable the viewer to respond to my painted landscapes in much the same way that I did when I visited the actual locations. I am inspired by beautiful places that have their own magical aura. Subjects that I paint include beaches, cliff top viewpoints, quaint fishing villages and the high moors. All of these locations have their own unique charm and character and that is what I am looking to capture in my paintings. Accuracy is an intrinsic part of my artwork as it plays a key role in enabling the viewer to feel that they are present at the scene. I paint my landscapes in both Oils and Acrylics and enjoy using the different techniques that are available to me with each medium.
Still Lifes
Some of my very first memories of drawing involved placing objects in front of me and drawing them as faithfully as I could. This soon progressed to working with watercolours and then acrylics. The benefits of colour became apparent straightaway as the painted objects became so much more lifelike. My still life paintings are very small in scale and are an illusion of light, form and space within two dimensions. The aim of these paintings is to make the viewer feel that they can pick an object straight out of the painting itself. I love to paint a variety of subjects often with a rustic charm and also some with a more classical composition. I find inspiration from the exceptionally detailed still life’s of Tim Gustard and the larger scale classical still life’s of Paul S Brown.