Diary of an Artist

A Retrospective Exhibition featuring oil paintings produced over 35 years

In the 1960s, Tony was involved in the Tadworth Art Group in Surrey, and went on to lead the group. Working as a draughtsman, much of his spare time was taken up with staging exhibitions and organising painting demonstrations and weekends, before eventually training as a teacher of adult education himself. He also devoted himself over a period of 8 years to studies through the Open College of the Arts, and started an honours degree in fine art at West Surrey College of Art & Design in Farnham. Twelve years ago he retired to Devon and a new life, all but giving up teaching and, at last, painting and drawing for himself.

"Not having to earn my living as an artist means my work does not fall into any set category or theme. Wherever I am I make sketches and take photographs as an information-gathering exercise and, whenever possible, I set up an easel and paint on the spot. My work is sometimes aesthetic, but more often not. Image-making is a human activity, and not a technique. Art is a form of communication and, only in more recent times, a form of decoration.
As an engineer, design is high on my list of priorities, and composition and tone come before colour."

This retrospective exhibition enables Tony to review the outcome of many years' endeavour, and he has categorised his work as follows:
Temperate House, Kew Gardens
Open College of the Arts
Scotland
Art College
Bridges
Dartmoor
Canada

"Some of the pieces were started years ago and have been worked on again recently. Like most artists my hoard of sketches, diagrams and sketchbooks is vast. I am always digging into the past for inspiration, and am rarely disappointed. Work started some time ago and perhaps left unfinished

For more information visit http://www.harbourhouse.org.uk/gallery-THyson11.html