At home with artist Peter Graham

WHEN renowned Scottish artist Peter Graham first viewed his present home, his jaw virtually hit the deck. The property might have looked like a building site, with wires hanging out of the walls, but he could not believe that such a beautiful house could be for sale here in Scotland.

Peter and his wife did not just stumble across any old house ten years ago, but one of the earliest Alexander 'Greek' Thomson Italianate villas built on the outskirts of Glasgow. Despite its condition, the couple jumped at the chance of owning a substantial part of the early Victorian house which had been split into apartments.

A grand mahogany staircase sweeps up from the main hall to the first floor, and your eye is drawn to the awe-inspiring Stephen Adam stained glass window, peppered with Egyptian hieroglyphics and symbols, at the half-landing. Through an 8ft-high door, you enter the drawing-room with its elegant oriel carved bay window, and then through again into the grand hall – a 35sq ft room resplendent with a dozen ionic pillars, wood panelling, gold leaf plasterwork and a gilded frieze of the Elgin Marbles that circles the entire space.

"It can be overwhelming," admits Peter, a Glasgow School of Art graduate. "But it all has a sense of proportion. Greek Thomson was a great academic and a lot of his work was very theoretical and analytical. He created this house when he was 35, which is quite extraordinary. It is a monument to what was to come next. It is the breadth of creation that can be overwhelming but the place itself is airy and homely."

After buying the house, the couple had to finish the work themselves.

"We had to get it re-wired and do a huge amount of work to the roof, which was a big expense as we have eight pitched roofs," says Peter. "The house has a lot of wood and some of it had to be replaced, but for the rest it was a case of polishing up. We were able to reveal the beautiful parquet flooring, which had been covered up, and we also uncovered two mirrored alcoves, which are like little rooms in their own right off the grand hall – we have them curtained with big Italian drapes so that we can close them off like separate rooms if we want."

This grand hall is also Peter's studio, where he paints mainly oils and watercolours. Here he has completed 40 paintings for his solo exhibition which opened at the Roger Billcliffe Gallery yesterday. The exhibition effectively takes us on Peter's journey last year from Miami and New York to the south of France and home to Mull and Iona.

France and the Scottish inner isles in particular were famous subjects for the Scottish Colourists, and looking at Peter's distinctive style and vibrant use of pure colour, it is easy to see why he has been called a Modern Colourist.

"The trail of the Scottish Colourists was a particularly good one as they identified places with interesting light," says Peter, who also studied film- making and was a film editor with the BBC in London for a number of years before returning to painting full time.

"There is a strong relationship between film-making and making paintings, and I think when you look at a painting you are going on a long journey and hopefully the painting keeps working for you in the same way that you can go back into a film," he says. "My career in television took me into journalism - I worked on Newsnight, Horizon and Panorama. The catalyst for me to leave that came when I was offered an artist-in-residence post in Singapore."

Since then Peter, who is a member of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters, has travelled the world, though when he is at home he works to a strict 9am-5:30pm schedule. "Early in my career, I noticed that a number of writers and painters worked these hours – I adopted that as my way of working," he says. "It sounds a little pedestrian but at the end of the day you need to get the most out of yourself."

His trips to the United States, in particular to Miami, have offered great artistic material as well as indulged him in his passion for architecture. "I am very interested in the Art Deco architecture of South Beach in Miami. I have worked there for a number of years. Last year, after America, I went to the south of France. I was painting one day when Roger Moore rolled up in a rather large sedan, got out and wandered around for a while. The area has a truly old world appeal."

It was perhaps a combination of Peter's natural artistic flair, admiration of architecture and his thirst for knowledge that led him to his Alexander 'Greek' Thomson home. He has done his own research into whether the elongated hearts found on some woodwork might have been added by Charles Rennie Mackintosh during late Victorian extensions and refurbishments. He also carefully uncovered the original wall colours in a bid to reflect the property's grand history.

"When we were decorating we took the lead from the walls," he says. "The majority of walls had been painted white – they had removed all reference to what was original here so I pulled back layers of paint as carefully as I could until I got to the base colour. A lot of the house dealt with itself. In the grand hall, it is wood to a height of eight feet and then it is gold leaf plaster for another couple of feet and beyond is lincrusta (a decorative plasterwork]. The same lincrusta is found in the stairwell, marking the level of the upper floor. The rest was a case of much French polishing."

These walls have also proved to be the perfect backdrop for Peter's work. "I use the walls of the house as my store," he says. "I love working in the grand hall as it has a sense of perspective that I have not experienced in any other house. The room has a theatrical quality and when I enter it there is a kind of feeling that you are going on stage. It fits nicely with the way that I live my life." k

Peter Graham's solo exhibition A Painter's Odyssey is being held at the Roger Billcliffe Gallery, 134 Blythswood Street, Glasgow, until 23 March (0141-332 4027, www.billcliffegallery.com). Peter also has a painting on show in the 130th annual RSW exhibition, at the Royal Scottish Academy, The Mound, Edinburgh, until 18 March.

My favourite things

What is your favourite food? I am a bit strange with food – I love figs. But my favourite is my wife's vegetarian lasagne.

Which artist do you most admire?

George Devlin. He is a true Scottish Impressionist.

What book are you reading at the moment? The Life and Work of Alexander Thomson by Ronald McFadzean in preparation for talking to you. It was sent to me by a friend in London.

Which painting are you most proud of creating? It is a journey of paintings, good or bad, and they lead to the next train of thought. You need to let your best work go as that is the way you tell people about what is going on.

Where is your favourite holiday destination? That is tricky as I have a lot to choose from, though I have to say Miami. It is a great holiday beach and has incredible Art Deco architecture.

What do you listen to in your studio? I listen to Radio 4 as I like my news. That is my background coming through. Once you are involved in journalism you are addicted to news.

This article was originally published in Scotland on Sunday on 28 February 2010