About Him
Brett was born in Devon and has spent over 20 years living in Devon and Cornwall, and it’s this intimate knowledge and passion for the area that is infused into his artwork.
His early education always had a strong bias towards the arts. He studied A levels in graphic design, photography and fine art. He then followed these with a one year foundation course that would confirm that painting was his primary passion. The last part of his art education was undertaking a BA Hons Degree in Scientific and Natural History Illustration at Lancaster University.
It was during his final degree exhibition in London that his career took an unexpected path. Brett was approached by a successful CGI studio and advertising company and was asked to join them as an artist, designer and 3D sculptor. His role was to translate his artistic skills to the medium of computers and to help the company diversify into more organic subject matter. This exciting and demanding position gave him full creative control to sculpt real world environments, people, wildlife and houses for international blue-chip companies. He worked there for 6 years but left at the beginning of 2006 to return to his southwest roots and to fulfil his long term ambition of being an artist.
About His Art
Brett finds inspiration for his paintings all over the South West of England. He likes to paint the wide open spaces of both the high moors and the glorious beaches, but he is also drawn to the fishing villages and towns that dot the coastline.
When we visit a location and take in it’s view, we look at the scene as a whole, then we focus in on the details that make up that scene. Brett’s paintings mirror this natural way of how we take in our surroundings. When first viewing Brett’s paintings you see the scene as a whole, it is only on closer inspection that his meticulous attention to detail reveals itself. This detail is particularly striking when Brett paints the buildings and boats that feature prominently in his paintings. His diverse technical background provides him with all the necessary skills to paint these challenging subjects.
His education and employment experiences provide the primary foundations for his artwork, although he has been influenced by Peter Symonds and Duncan Palmar, two of Britain’s leading contemporary landscape artists. Brett now works in oils and he uses broad compositions to convey the character and beauty of his chosen landscapes. He uses strong tonal variations, appealing lighting and an effective use of colour to create paintings with a real sense of place.
