Parrish in perspective

I was born in Erdington, Birmingham, Warwickshire in October 1953 with an English and Welsh background.
I am distantly related to the artist Henry Edridge (1769-1821) on my grandmother’s side.
He was a portrait painter whose artwork can be found in the National Portrait Gallery London, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and the Tate Gallery, London.
His artwork was praised by Sir Joshua Reynolds.
From an early age I had a love of pencil drawing, including drawing family portraits, family pets, steam locomotives and Daleks from the TV series Doctor Who.

I also enjoyed making models from my Meccano set including a steam locomotive (see above) and making Airfix plastic construction kits
After leaving secondary school at 16, I went to Sutton Coldfield Art College to pursue an art career.
But my parents wanted me to find a proper, routine 9-5pm job instead and bring some regular income into the Parrish household.

In 1971, I found a full time job as an Apprentice Trainee Draughtsman in Civil/Structural Engineering, working in a drawing office (see above) at a Consulting Engineering company in Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire.
They trained me to do free hand printing text and draw precision straight lines to represent building foundations and reinforcing them with steel bars working on a drawing board. The engineering drawing would be checked and then sent to an appropriate building site to use for construction.
This training helped me develop a tighter style of art when painting later on in my life.
My employers asked me to undertake a day release building course at my local College while working during the week.
I secured a HNC qualification from the course in 1976 and this helped me pursue an engineering career as a qualified Technical Draftsman, often liaising with architects and service disciplines.
My growing experience in Civil/Structural Engineering in the UK helped me find employment overseas as a Contract Draftsman working in Saudi Arabia 1976-1977 and Australia 1980-1982.
It was wonderful to have the opportunity to travel and experience different cultures around the globe and at the same time be working for a living.

In 1995 I decided to change my career and take up fine art and fulfill my dream of becoming a full time artist after a deep recession in the construction industry during the 1990s.
I have never regretted this decision.
I was already working part time as an artist from 1993 and joined the Guild of Railway Artists in the same year.
I exhibited with the Guild at Kettering and Folkstone and later in the year at Mesdames Gallery in Hatton Country World, Warwickshire.
I discovered the Tressel Gallery in Royal Leamington Spa during 1994 and they kindly offered me some wall space in their gallery to exhibit my railway paintings.

As an oil painter (artist and illustrator) I am always inspired by seeing the natural beauty of the world around me.
I realised I needed to promote my art through publishers to reach a wider audience along with exhibiting my art. I was aided by reading the Writers and Artists Year book published annually.
My first contact with art publishers were the Medici Society Ltd. based in London.
They invited me to come and meet and I was able to show them my portfolio of art images which I always take to show at meetings.
I always make sure I am armed with business cards too, ready to give and pass on when meeting potential art clients.
Medici published two of my train images during 1996 and 1997 onto greeting cards.

I was invited to exhibit at the Local Artists Exhibition at the Royal Pump Rooms in Royal Leamington Spa (see above) in 1997.
I also exhibited at the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists during 1998 and early 2000s

I began attending the International Spring and Autumn Fairs from 1998 which were annual events held at the NEC Birmingham and spread over 5 days.
The photo above shows me showcasing my original oil painting What are you doing about the Millennium on the International Greetings stand at the ISF in 1999
I had the opportunity to approach and meet publishers in person at their trade stands during the Fair and I was able to show them my ever growing portfolio of images in my display file.
If my style suited theirs, they would offer me a copyright contract granting them permission to use my images on their greeting cards or jigsaws.

I met the Bridgeman Art Library at the Fairs during 1998 and they wanted to use some of my images in their art library archives and promote them globally in the art world.
Bridgeman Images continue to promote my art through their websites in UK, Europe and USA.
In 2006 I joined the Artists Collecting Society which was set up by Harriet Bridgeman, who founded Bridgeman Images.
The ACS is a premium collecting society which promotes the administration of Artists Resale Rights and is non profiting.
At the Fairs I met the editors of the Picture Business magazine who kindly gave me some exposure as an artist with some art space.
I also met the editors of Art Business Today magazine who often featured and promoted my art too.

I was also working on Doctor Who, Moody Blues and Cliff Richard images with again the idea of promoting them through the appropriate channels which were BBC licensing,
The Official Fan Club and Dynamite International respectively. The above photo see's my daughter outside Threshold Records (the Official Moody Blues Fan Club) in 1996
I enjoyed the opportunity of going to meet publishers in person with my portfolio of images, sometimes in Birmingham or London and other parts of the country too
A lot of communication was done by letter and parcel post.
At the same time I contacted newspapers and magazine publishers and submitted Press Releases to them, just in case they might be interested in featuring my latest art in their newspaper or magazine.
They very often did and I am very grateful to them for the coverage as it gave me growing credibility as a visual artist.
In 1999 my art was published in the International Artist magazine no 8.
In 2000, King International , a Dutch jigsaw publisher, published a large run of jigsaw puzzles with one of my locomotive paintings printed on it.

From late 1998 my Fine Art was promoted by Acanthus Gallery based in Balsall Common where I learned many techniques in Fine Art and undertook projects and commissions in various genre.
One project was creating an original oil painting in Birmingham City Council House in colour at night on a large canvas.
Once completed it was then promoted through a Children's Charity and was donated to Birmingham City Council House during 2001.
It can be found exhibited in the Head of Security Office within the Council House.(see above)
The image was also used on a greeting card, published by The Almanac Gallery (Town and City Collection), formerly the Cavendish Collection.
The Romansleigh Collection, Ampersand 3D and Simon Elvin Ltd who I had met at the International Spring Fair published my railway art onto their greeting cards.
Two of my railway paintings were auctioned at the Number 8 Gallery, based at Pershore Worcestershire during Oct 2001 under the patronage of Helen Bonham Carter
During 2001 I gave a demonstration on how I composed a canal painting on the canvas for the Napton on the Hill art group near Leamington Spa
In 2001, a good friend who worked at Country Artists in Stratford Upon Avon painting animal designed sculptures in resin, suggested I contact the founder and owner of the company, who wished to commission an artist to promote his business.
I went to meet him in Stratford at Country Artists and he commissioned me to create a rural scene on canvas.

In 2001 I was invited to become the Resident Artist at the Jane Powell Art Studio (see above) in Kenilworth, Warwickshire and take part in Exhibitions promoting canal artwork and other genre, including a solo Dr Who Exhibition.
This attracted Doctor Who fan clubs, including the Wolves of Fenric based in the Midlands, to come and see my exhibition.
I was also involved with the running of the gallery alongside the proprietors.
I am very grateful to the proprietors, namely Jane and Marie, for the opportunity to promote my art through their gallery.
My canal artwork became renowned in the Inland Waterways world, appearing on their greeting cards and used on jigsaw puzzles too.

My transport artwork was published by the Newcomers' Gallery in 2002 and 2004 with an open edition prints run.(above showcases my Newcomers artwork at the ISF in 2004)
I had first met Newcomers' Gallery at the International Spring Fair in the late 1990s.
I joined The Fine Art Trade Guild in 2002 and was part of a Touring UK Exhibition that year entitled Guild Artists Mobile Exhibition 2003.
My artist's name appeared in their Fine Art Trade Guild Directory in 2003, 2004 and 2005 editions.
The Jane Powell Art Studio promoted my art through The Discovery Art Exhibition held at the gallery during 2003. We had many sales.

From late 2002 I was promoted as a fine artist by Warwick Studios Gallery, founded in 1972 and based in Leamington Spa.
During 2004 I exhibited my art with Warwick Studios Gallery as part of the annual Warwickshire Artsweek.
I had two solo sell out art exhibitions with the Gallery, one in 2005, “The Tapestry of Life” and the other in 2008, named “Vanishing World”, portraying a tapestry of life in the UK during the 20th century in monochrome oils in a nostalgic, traditional artwork style.
I also had a Christmas solo art exhibition with the Gallery which was successful with many sales too.

From 2006-2008 I was invited to be a full time Resident Live Artist in the Warwick Studios Art Lounge Gallery.
A role I enjoyed as I had the opportunity to meet the art loving public in person while in the Gallery, which sometimes led to commissions.
Other tasks included framing paintings for customers, generally helping out running the Gallery, including help hanging paintings ready for exhibitions and of course painting on the easel in front of a Live audience on the canvas in between serving customers.

In 2006 Buckingham Fine Arts (pictured above at the International spring Fair 2007), who had heard about my successful exhibitions with Warwick Studios, published my art in the form of a Limited Edition Print Run, which included 3 images from my 2005 exhibition with Warwick Studios.
One image Little Miss Mop from the Tapestry of Life exhibition was showcased in the Pump Rooms in Leamington Spa during Warwickshire Artsweek in 2006
During this time I developed a style painting from dark to light and sometimes using several layers of paint to get the effects I wanted.
In 2007 I was approached by the prestigious art publisher De Montford Fine Art based in Litchfield, Staffordshire, to join them as an artist, but I thanked them and declined the offer, as it didn't suit what I needed at the time.

I am very grateful to the proprietors at Warwick Studios for the opportunity to promote my art through their gallery.

In 2009 I was approached by Border Fine Arts to create a couple of country scenes for Greys of Shenstone Ltd., based In Aldridge, West Midlands.
After completion I was asked to sign Limited Edition prints of the scenes in their showroom.(see above)
I met them originally through Duncan Mitchell Fine Art.
Duncan was a friend of one of my cousin's.
In the meantime Duncan was promoting my canal paintings through his framing business.

In 2009 I was invited to join the Mitchell Gallery in Warwick.(see above photo promoting my Warwick Collection in the Mitchell Gallery window)
I had met Tom, the proprietor of the gallery at Warwick Studios in 2005 and he had bought a couple of my original paintings from my Tapestry of Life Exhibition.
At the Mitchell Gallery I continued my success with solo exhibitions, creating monochrome oil paintings of historic Warwick in a similar style to Warwick Studiios.
We developed a series of historic Warwick paintings and we named them The Warwick Collection
I later had a permanent Warwick Collection exhibition in the gallery and had a complete sell out of my original paintings.
The Warwick Collection sold very well in the form of original oil paintings, embellished prints and greeting cards.
In 2012 the Mitchell Gallery asked me to come and be a Resident Artist in the Gallery while working on my Warwick Castle painting, which ultimately became the main focus of the Warwick Collection.

The Mitchell Gallery were invited to exhibit at Warwick Castle (see my Warwick Castle painting above) as part of a Canaletto Exhibition during 2014. As one of the artists, I showcased my Warwick Castle painting along with Warwick Crown Court in Session 2010.
The Mitchell Gallery closed in 2018, so I decided to return home to my studio to paint and pursue other projects.
I am grateful to the proprietors of the gallery for promoting my art.
In 2010 I was approached by a corporate business called Elegant Clutter Ltd. based in Warwick who had seen my black and white art in the Warwick Studios Gallery and commissioned me to create some London taxi scene paintings to use and display on their clients premises in the form of prints.
Also in 2010 the Artifex Gallery in Sutton Coldfield exhibited some of my monochrome images in their gallery after seeing my art in the press.

From 2009 through 2016 I was invited as an artist to be part of the Leamington and Warwick Model Railway Society group who exhibited their train layouts, along with other groups around the country, annually at a weekend event.
This took place at Stoneleigh Exhibition Halls in Warwickshire.
The train layouts on show were awesome and realistic to look at and observe and I was able to promote my railway art there to railway enthusiasts with my own stall.
It was a privilege to be part of the show and I was commissioned to create a painting of a Deltic diesel train at Kings Cross Station.(see photo for the commissioner)
In 2010 I joined the Mid Warwickshire Rambling Club and later the Leamington Rambling Club and became inspired to create scenes from the natural world after experiencing so much joy and pleasure walking as a rambler in the natural world and meeting fellow ramblers in and around Warwickshire.
I won first prize in the Kenilworth Art Festival competition in 2011 with my railway painting entitled Train on time.

In 2011 I joined the Leamington Lawn Tennis and Squash Club.
This club was the first ever lawn tennis club in this country and the world and was founded in 1872, five years prior to Wimbledon in SW19, London.
At the club I felt inspired to create portraits of British Wimbledon champions Andy Murray and Ann Haydon Jones.
These portraits were showcased in the Club house.
Many members of the club have commissioned me, the artist, over the years which has been quite a humbling experience.

In 2012 I was commissioned by Bradford Exchange Ltd in London to create a scene of the Flying Scotsman no 4472 locomotive and train to celebrate 90 years of the Flying Scotsman.
In the form of 4472 no Collector Prints with genuine Flying Scvotsman metal.
(I work hard on the original painting of the Flying Scotsman)
The original oil painting was later promoted in Railart 2016 at the Guild of Railway Artists in the Kidderminster Railway Museum.

In 2013 I was commissioned by the Deputy Mayor of Warwick to create a painting in monochrome of The Court House in Jury Street Warwick (see above) based on the Warwick Collection style of painting, in order to generate funds and restore the Court House to its original look.
The project was to commemorate the 1100th anniversary of the towns history and the restoration was completed in 2014.
The Deputy Mayor became Mayor of Warwick in 2014 and bought many of my original pieces of art from my Warwick Collection during my days with the Mitchell Gallery and showcased them in her home in Leamington Spa.
In 2014 the Mayor set up a Charity Fund for the restoration appeal by promoting a limited edition number of prints from my original oil painting of the Court House.
A highly successful venture which helped finance the restoration cost of the project.
My original painting is exhibited in Warwick Court House and a framed print is exhibited in the Tourist Information Office, Jury St, Warwick.
The historic Thomas Oken tea rooms in Warwick ( next to the Court House on the right in the photo) also exhibit a framed print of the Court House on show to customers.

In early 2015 Martina, who I had met previously at The Mitchell Gallery and her working colleague Tim, were keen to create a short video of my art as they wanted to promote their new business through my artwork.
(Tim, me and Martina)

Martina and Tim came to my studio in Leamington Spa to do some filming of my artwork on show and created a video promoting my fine art.
The music was created by good friend Mr Will Allen.
View it here.

Later in the day we were invited to the Mayor's house in Warwick for Martina and Tim to do some filming of my Warwick Collection paintings on show there.(see above)
I felt quite humbled to see them being filmed in someone's private home.
Martina and Tim created a very good video and I am very grateful to them for their time and effort in promoting my art. We remain good friends.

My artist name appears in the annual Who’s Who in Art 34th, 35th, 36th Editions Dictionary, published in 2010, 2012 and 2014.
My name also appears in the 37th Dictionary of International Biography published in June 2013.
I have donated my artwork to various charities over the years, including at science fiction conventions, police charities and the Moody Blues fan club in Surrey UK and in the USA.

In 2007 KD Sales and Marketing Ltd published a jigsaw puzzle featuring a montage of my Doctor Who artwork.(see above)
It was marketed the following year at the International Spring Fair at the NEC Birmingham by KD Sales and Marketing Ltd.(see above)
In Nov 2017 I won a prize in the world of Doctor Who with “100 Illustrated Adventures” sponsored by Penguin Books. Prompted by good friend Simon Miller.

In 2018 I became a sponsored visual Artist supporting “The Foresters’ Fund For Children” by advertising my artwork in their charity’s handbook.

Since June 2018 some of my artwork has been on show at Lott Bazaar Art Gallery in Clemens St., Leamington Spa

I was elected a Full Member of the Guild of Railway Artists on the 30 September 2018 by the Guild Council at the Kidderminster Railway Museum,(me and a good friend inside the Railway Museum) Kidderminster Railway Station on the Severn Valley Railway.
It is an honour to be a Full Member of the prestigious Guild and it has given me more credibility as a Railway Artist.
Kidderminster Railway Museum has become the permanent home of the Guild Of Railway Artists since 2016 and I have exhibited in the Guild's Railart exhibitions annually.
In 2019 my transport artwork was accepted by the Science and Society Picture Library based in London, which is affiliated to the National Railway Museum in York.

In 2018 I was approached by the LSA (Leamington Studio Artists) to exhibit my local landscape art (see above) along with other artists mounted onto steel barriers installed around building work going on in the Pump Room Gardens.
This work was the restoration of the historic Pump Room Gardens Bandstand dating back to 1889.
It was funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Warwick District Council and Friends of the Pump Room Gardens, chaired by Mr Archie Pitts

In 2019 I joined the Friends of Leamington Station founded by Ruth Bennion in 2004.
A group of volunteers who have maintained the gardens on Platform 2 at Leamington Spa Station since 2004.
The Friends have won prizes for the best kept railway station gardens in the country over the years, competing with other volunteers at well known railway stations around the country.
Ruth and friends have always been very supportive of my artwork and I am very grateful to them for this.
Two of the Friends, Marianne Pitts and Patrick Kingston have helped promote my Warwick Collection and railway art respectively.
I have created paintings of Leamington Spa station to help promote the station and gardens through the volunteers and Chiltern Railways, which was inspired by Ruth Bennion.
In the scene above we are enjoying an annual Fish and Chip evening in the gardens on Platform 2 Leamington Spa.

In 2019, 2020 , 2021 and 2022 my railway art was used in the LMS-Patriot Project Calendars.
These calendars helped promote the project and created funds to help finance building the locomotive.
The locomotive will be a memorial to all those who died in the Great War and subsequent wars around the world.

THe art of Terence Cuneo on the front cover of a model railway catalogue in 1973)
In 2021 my railway art was featured in the Cuneo Society Journal Vol 5 Number 2 edition. The Journal is a tribute to the artist of the 20th century, namely Terence Cuneo.
I felt privileged as an artist to be included in the journal alongside Terence's art.

I have been a member of the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway for several years and my railway art has been featured regularly in their quarterly Cornishman magazine.
Pete Waterman is President of the preserved railway.

I have many pieces of unfinished art or art projects which were started awhile back but never completed because of circumstances at the time, or I was sidetracked onto another more immediate project.
I would like to return and complete them.
I have many ideas I would like to realise on the canvas too.
I have donated artwork to many charities, raffles and auctions and have received commendations. (see below)