Peter Coker

1926-2004

Peter Coker was born in London, but his family soon moved to rural Essex and it was here at school, where his passion for painting was first kindled. He was also inspired by his local surroundings, from which he gained a great appreciation for landscape.

As the ‘Kitchen Sink’ style became less popular in the wake of American Abstract Expressionism Coker’s reputation suffered along with his genre contempories. None the less Coker stuck to his guns, continuing to develop a powerful and expressive style. At the same time landscape was to become the dominant subject matter for the rest of his life.

Short and slight of build, Coker’s physique could be said to be at odds with the intense material presence and scale of his paintings; the large, powerful gestures of the palette knife which moulded the think paint seemed to echo the very substance as well as the appearance of the objects Coker depicted. He chose scenes that reveal powerful natural forces – pounding seas, tangled forests and rock formations; subjects that allowed him to find equivalents in paint that were almost physical.

In the 1960’s Coker moved to Mistley near Manningtree with wife Vera continued to paint many English landscapes as those in  France.He later befriended the older landscape artist John Nash. A new breadth to his work was discovered at this time as he started to occasionally use thinner paint, even watercolour to capture different atmospheric effects.

Coker’s later life was marred by the tragic early death of his son Nicholas, which profoundly affected him and his painting, although he continued to paint until his death in 2004.