Philip Watkins
I am interested in townscapes and the urban environment, particularly seaside resorts or industrial sites/estates and parks - anywhere where human activity comes up against nature. I like to contrast the artificial patterns of the architecture with natural forms. Often the places that act as starting points for paintings have a particular personal meaning for me, sometimes they are just places I come across where I get a particular sort of feeling of desertion.
I left Newport Art College in 1977 with a degree in Fine Art. I've painted ever since, though sometimes the jobs I've taken to pay the bills have taken over for a time (I spent 12 years in animation - winning a BAFTA and an EMMY as part of the Siriol Animation Team). I also taught drawing to young offenders and worked for seven years as a full-time youth worker on some of Cardiff's peripheral housing estates.Talking to young people in the drizzle of a February evening on some council estate has been an influence. In 2002 I stopped work to paint full time, though I still taught a few Adult Education classes. In 2020 I was diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus. After intensive radio and chemotherapy I underwent , what ended up being, three operations. This has resulted in my not having the same strength and stamina in my arm when it comes to easel painting. Hence I have been making lots of work on paper - for the simple reason that I can work flat. I have also reverted to a simple pleasure in just painting light.
