The Itinerant Painter

Hello everyone,

The new exhibition, 'The Onslaught of Autumn', has got off to a flying start with a very well attended preview last Thursday, and lots of interest in the beautiful paintings we are showing.

One of the artists that is enjoying a particularly high amount of attention is Tadeusz Deregowski. 

Born in Zambia, raised and educated in Scotland and now living in Brazil, Tadeusz Deregowski is one of a rare breed of artists.

He lives a truly nomadic existence, travelling the world with his portable kit, painting those things that interest and inspire him.  Deregowski creates a painting every day, wherever he is in the world, and stores them in his home made cases so he can move them even when still wet.  Trained at Edinburgh College of Art, he is a fine artist in one of the oldest of artistic traditions – that of the traveller painting what he finds around him.  He is a painter of the highest quality creating beautiful little paintings, each of which is dated for the day it was produced.

Have a look at this:

'View from B&B, Elgin (11 July)' oil on board, by Tadeusz Deregowski.

And this little beauty:

'On the way to Nethy Bridge (17 July)', oil on board, by Tadeusz Deregowski.

I'll let Tadeusz himself explain:

‘My interest is primarily in recording my subjective responses to places, buildings, things and people. 

The subjects which appeal to me most are places which are in some way hidden or mysterious: one of the central functions of art for me is the revealing of secrets. Cities which are seldom visited or the places off the tourist circuit hold more interest to me than more obvious sights,  and I love to use art as a form of, and motivation for, exploration. Similarly, I love to use portraiture as a way of studying people in their environments, attempting to show their inner lives.

I see my work in the line of both travel painter-diarists such as Edward Lear or Turner, and expressionist painters such as Bonnard or Joan Eardley: I have a little portable kit with which I can easily transport materials and wet paintings.

I have a daily routine of producing postcard-sized or even credit-card sized paintings on card. These are painted plein-air using oils.

The idea of being a sort of itinerant, travelling painter, a la Turner, is one that I find immensely appealing, combining as it does the roles of explorer, artist and holidaymaker. I intend to spend a considerable amount of time in the future pursuing longer and longer trips. Next I shall go to the UK, after that I’d love to visit the USA again, Chile, Iran, the Caucuses, Japan and more of Brazil.

I currently live in Florianopolis, in southern Brazil, but I often travel, usually to Europe or within Latin America.’

A great painter in the finest traditions.

More to follow on the other fine artists who have contributed to 'The Onslaught of Autumn'.