Peter Le Vasseur's Painting Treasure Trove was completed in 2021, just in time to be included as the frontispiece for A Brush With Life. It is a complex work with a simple message. A logger peers into a hole he has created in the rainforest canopy and for the first time recognises the diversity of... Continue Reading →
Keeping Up With the Crises
Most authors writing the biography of an artist have a straightforward task. The artworks are complete, and any meaning or symbolism embedded in art is fixed. It is slightly more complex if the artist is still alive and still producing new works, but a line can still be drawn. Time Limit (1979) Peter Le Vasseur... Continue Reading →
What to Leave Out?
When writing non-fiction, or indeed historical fiction, the temptation is to cram as much of your research as possible into the book. Firm discipline needs to be applied to fiction as you are not writing a textbook and explicit information-dumping must be avoided. In non-fiction the need for such discipline may relax because you are... Continue Reading →
‘A Brush With Life’ Launched in Style
It was a busy week in Guernsey. A Brush With Life - the Art of Peter le Vasseur was published in the UK at the end of July by Lutterworth Press. It had already been available for pre-order on Amazon but we decided to initially play it low key in Peter's home island of Guernsey... Continue Reading →
The Fun is in the Detail
Peter le Vasseur's pictures can at first glance appear to be beautiful nature pictures. Look again, look closely and you can find detail that adds meaning to the work, sometimes indeed its title. This has been part of the fun of working with Peter and writing A Brush With Life. Picture 010 deer 5.tif The... Continue Reading →
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Artist
Back in 2019 I was surprised and flattered when Guernsey-based artist Peter Le Vasseur asked me to write a book about his life and work. It has been a rewarding exercise but did not follow the path expected at the outset. Firstly, I left Guernsey to live in England at the end of that year.... Continue Reading →
Special Offer
Over the past weeks we've been discussing the artwork to be used for the cover of A Brush With Life with the publisher. Front runner at the moment is Special Offer as it is an intriguing work that leads into Peter's interest in the animals, plants and peoples of the South American rainforests. The brash... Continue Reading →
Writer’s Retreat
Autumn is approaching in Britain. From my balcony this week I’ve noticed the trees browning day by day, and leaves starting to accumulate on lawns. It seems an opportune moment to share an image of Season of Mists and Mellow Fruitfulness by Guernsey artist Peter Le Vasseur. It was part of a series of 20... Continue Reading →
An Eye for Nature
Whilst working on a new thriller, and editing the one I 'finished' earlier, I have a new project to keep me out of mischief. I'm teaming up with artist Peter Le Vasseur to produce a book on his life and work. In particular the book will feature Peter's later works with ecological and conservation themes.... Continue Reading →