Warwickshire Railways: Railway Art
Kevin Parrish, member of Guild Of Railway Artists
Born in Birmingham in the 1950's, Kevin's first encounter with a
steam locomotive was in Powys, Wales. As a child he used to watch freight
trains, hauled by Stanier 8fs trundle past his Grandparents house in a village
near Builth Wells.The mechanical motion, coupled with the hissing sounds of
steam and smoke were to him like watching an almost living thing. During the
Summers of the 1960's Kevin also remembers spending his childhood holidays at
Barmouth and Harlech, North Wales watching the steam trains crossing The
Mawdach Estuary and snaking their way around the welsh mountains with their
trails of smoke. To him they seemed to be part of nature. Soon after he
received a birthday present called The Observer's Book Of Steam Locomotives. He
was fascinated by all the different types of locomotive in the book and was
absorbed by all the descriptions of each type. The book soon became rather
tatty through constant use.
Accompanying a school friend to Saltley engine sheds in
Birmingham during the 1960's was an amazing experience for Kevin. He met his
school friend's father who was an engine driver. He remembers the hissing
sounds in the confined spaces were deafening, and all the grime, dirt and smell
of steam that went with it. He also remembers standing on Platform 10 at New
Street Station in the early 1960's watching all the station activity. This
platform is depicted on 'Waiting For The Train' (see below).
In the meantime Kevin sketched steam locomotives at school and
always dreamed of painting them later in life. However at 17 Kevin embarked on
a Civil Engineering career for 24 years which widened his horizons and expanded
his ideas considerably working in UK and overseas. In 1993 he joined 'The Guild
Of Railway Artists'. This opened his eyes to the potential of what could be
done in the art world.
Slowly Kevin's ideas evolved into a nostalgic theme. He has been
published by Newcomers Gallery in the late 1990's with a series of open edition
prints with a transport theme. Teddy Bear's Picnic was published in 2006 by
Buckingham Fine Arts as a Limited Print of 195. Kevin is an Associate Member of
'The Guild Of Railway Artists' in Warwick Kevin's art has been published and
has appeared on calendars, jigsaw puzzles, CD's etc. His art has been featured
in magazines and the Press. His website addresses are
www.kevinparrish.co.uk and
www.kevinparrishart.com
All the images on this page, and the linked larger versions, are
copyright of Kevin Parrish ARA. None maybe used without the artists'
permission.
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