Surgeon turned artist to have work displayed
A FORMER surgeon turned artist from Birkdale has been chosen as Southport Contemporary Arts’ artist of the month and will have his work showcased at the gallery.
Tim Locke retired 10 years ago and since then, has signed up for watercolour painting classes and through his lessons with Steven Coates, has learnt to enjoy the challenges and frustrations of watercolour painting.
Tim describes himself as a science fan, who became a surgeon and then an artist.
Tim’s inspiration comes from English impressionistic landscape artists Edward Seago and William Heaton Cooper, which leads him to his own intuitive interpretation of the environment.
His works displays his fluid and spontaneous use of paint while vividly retaining the atmospheric mood of each chosen location, painting scenes that are informed by his experiences but shaped by his imagination.
Having lived in Northumberland for six years, it was inevitable that the strongly contrasting landscapes and the vagaries of the British weather in England’s northernmost county would provide stimulation for Tim’s creativeness.
His featured paintings of three of the county’s imposing military fortresses are recognisably spontaneous - a moment trapped in oil or watercolour - that potently retains the essential mood of the occasion whether dramatic or reflective.
Tim, from Birkdale , said: “Landscapes, seascapes and cityscapes feature heavily in my work. Flowers and animals, still life, portraits less so.
“However, I enjoy the challenges of each genre equally.
“And though most of my work heads towards realism I do love to let go and make a really loose image.
“My oil painting of Bamburgh Castle in a storm was inspired by the extreme weather endured by folk in the
Northeast.
“The two watercolours of Lindisfarne and Dunstanburgh Castles are opposites in that the former is a 20th century restoration and the latter a complete ruin but both inhabit the same rough seas and land.”
Tim’s distinctive artwork will be on display at the ArtHouse, Eastbank Street from Saturday, April 1 to Saturday, April 29.
The gallery is open Tuesday to Friday, 10am to 3pm and Saturday, 11am to 4pm.