Don’t Overthink It With Peter McDermott
Peter McDermott, artist, Scottish Landscape Watercolourist based on the Isle of Skye at the Aird Old Church Gallery, with numerous commissions and exhibitions and a television appearance and finalist on Channel 4’s Watercolour Challenge, welcome.
At 15, Peter entered the West Surrey College of Art & Design, becoming the youngest student in the institution's history. This early immersion in formal training laid the foundation for a career that would later find him as Creative Director of a prestigious London Advertising agency. Despite his professional success, Peter and his family relocated to the Isle of Skye in 1996.
Soon after relocating to the Isle of Skye Peter co-founded Aird Old Church Gallery with Jane McDermott, the gallery a permanent exhibition space for Peter’s original watercolours and limited-edition prints. Since that time Peter has continued to create a deeply profound and personal connection to the Skye and the landscape he seeks to capture. The spellbinding meditative beauty of Peter’s landscapes has been cast.
Peter McDermott, artist, owner of the Aird Old Church Gallery is my guest, on this the first series of Don’t Overthink It. The aim, to connect with Creatives on the Isle of Skye and discover their who, what, why and more.
Don’t Overthink It - Peter McDermott
1. Unpack painting with watercolours?
Peter: It’s only pigment and water so why is it considered the hardest of paint mediums? Perhaps it’s the unforgiving nature of the process, mistakes are notoriously difficult to correct, obtaining the delicious immediacy of wet-in-wet requires more pre-planning than one would think! Watercolour is an enigma so simple to use, so difficult to control.
2. Your connection to the Isle of Skye where and when did it begin?
Peter: 1994, a wet day trudging through Kyle of Lochalsh, an old church for sale on Skye in Sleat (where?). “Let’s go and see it", companions reaction “let's not!” I won! As we came over the last brae, the rain ceased, the clouds parted, and the angels sang! We knew nothing of Skye, nor Sleat, but 18 months later we’d re-located to start an adventure painting watercolours.
3. Your one word to describe the Isle of Skye, what is it?
Peter: Light!
4. Picture this, it’s summer on the Isle of Skye, the wind and rain vertical, you are standing in your favourite place, where is it and what are you listening to?
Peter: Aird of Sleat, in particular 200 metres north west of our church, standing on a wee hill with 180 degree view across the Sound of Sleat. Here you can perceive the curvature of the earth. It’s not a tourist destination, a must see Instagram location, but in my view it’s all the better for it. Just the hill, the distant sea and listening to a skylark battling skywards against the summer gale.
5. Standing in the landscape between presence and perception and before painting, describe yourself in those moments?
Peter: Trepidation!! I know what I can see, but how to interpret it - such anxiety! The temptation to copy, to get it accurate, to satisfy some long dead teacher is always a distraction and frustration. I find prayer a great help, seeking the Creator’s perspective is strangely freeing and inspiring!
6. Yes, or no?
Peter: As Meg Ryan once said: “Yes! Yes! Yes!” Yes, far more pleasurable than ‘No!”
7. Today, tomorrow, yesterday, what inspires you to create?
Peter: I create because intrinsically I’m creative and perhaps that is driven by: Yesterday: the fascination of receiving paintings from a Czech uncle as a child. Today: I know what I can do today but can I do it better? Tomorrow: what if? What if I use some mixed media, simplify the scene to abstraction think out of the box - well that’s tomorrow - let’s concentrate on today - I guess the secret is, never be satisfied!
8. The Isle of Skye the rhythm is divine, inherently wild unpredictable, describe your relationship with that landscape?
Peter: Sensorial! It has to be!!! Simply observing doesn’t cut it here, having one’s senses assailed by the elements deepens one’s connection to the land and attunes one’s perception to the voice of the island.
9. How is this creative supporting and promoting Creatives on Skye?
Peter: Been chair of the local Arts & Crafts Association for the last four years.
10. In seeking inspiration and discovering or rediscovering places on Skye, describe discovering yourself in those places?
Peter: The day I stop questioning is the day I stop discovering and my creativity becomes purely a process. My inspiration is driven by questions which means locations familiar or new are always fresh as I constantly question myself, my process and the challenge before me.
11. What is the significance of sustainability in your practice?
Peter: I avoid all plastics and synthetic products. I purposely use the finest natural resources for my paintings.
12. What book are you reading or writing or listening to?
Peter: To be honest I’m not a reader! My life has been spent analysing and appreciating the visual. However, in saying that the book I do read the most is the Bible.
13. Perfection or beautiful imperfection?
Peter: Perfection is so rare and fleeting I’ll settle for beautiful imperfection in all its wonderful diversity and permanency.
14. What question would you ask yourself, share your answer?
Peter: So is that it? John 3vs 16.
Thank you, Peter McDermott, my super creative Watercolourist .