Below is an insightful video showing Peter Hackett’s studio process, from initial sketching through to the application of paint.

Peter’s painting process is primarily instinctual, yet prior to beginning a painting he will explore a subject through photography, whether it’s one he’s taken or a composite that he’s created from multiple source images.

A photograph offers a departure point for his work, and from there his instincts take control. He says, “I found that by starting with photographs, no matter how I represent the source material, the finished painting doesn’t resemble or look anything like it because the image itself is secondary to the technique. The reference almost becomes incidental. In the process of painting, one paint stroke guides the next. So the way you fill the brush, the way you put the paint onto the palette has a great degree of influence on how the paint will go onto the canvas.”

For Peter, the paint itself along with technique always comes first. The motif or imagery is secondary, and it’s this relationship and experience of texture and form, the sculptural qualities within his works, that draw us into his sublime vision of the landscape.

Peter Hackett’s exhibition of new paintings will be on view at Parnell Gallery from 19 September – 3 October 2023. All works are available to view online now by clicking here.