Biography

Seriously I don't care about writing a biography, I'm not applying for a job. I'm an artist and my heart has most often shown me the way to go which was always right even if my mind thought it was wrong. My heart told me to do it anyway.
David Nash, a New York dealer and super important to some in the art world, has been quoted as saying, "Paintings with cows never do well. Never"

Essentially I don't paint cows, like van Gogh did not essentially paint sunflowers. He painted a lot of yellow, seven sunflower paintings in all, a yellow chair, he even painted the house he was living in at the time yellow. The colour of hope. You see, Vincent & myself have something in common, we didn't give a damn about some wheeling dealing merchant, suffering as we both were from terrible moments of deep despair in our fucked up artists minds. Our hearts revealed to us, even if just for a fleeting moment, an overwhelming feeling of tranquility.
So back in 1887 it is quite likely that David Nash would have said, "Paintings of Sunflowers never do well. Never"

If you think fame and money is the saviour for an artist then look no further than to the story of Mark Rothko. He felt misunderstood despite the fact that he was selling works in 1965 which secured him an annual income of

$37.000

which is the equivalent value of approximately

$300.000

in 2020. Rothko felt that the true purpose of his work was not being grasped by collectors, critics, or audiences. In 1970 after a period of deep depression, heavy smoking and drinking he took an overdose of barbiturates, slit his wrists and was gone forever.

As a teenager I stood in the Mark Rothko room in the Tate Gallery, myself struggling with finding purpose in this extreme life. It was definitely a spiritual experience with Rothko. He'd done well, at least with me.

In my child's heart one of my cow paintings will hang in the future beside one of van Gogh's paintings. Maybe my, "Yellow Bull", which is based on Vincents beautiful Yellow Chair.
Only the heart knows when it's doing well. It sees essentially that which remains invisible to the eyes of people who live in their bank accounts and sell works like Rothkos for mega millions, missing the purpose by miles.

In 2017 I painted a cow in a violin case. I could have sold it easily for a couple of thousand, then my brother told me his girlfriend loved it. In my book love is the freedom to give and not want anything in return. So the cow in a violin case was delivered to Lisa.

Here we go, a bit ot of biography:

4 of my artworks on newspapers are in the Annette & Peter Nobel Collection. along with works from Gerhard Richter, Andy Warhol, Joan Miró, Antoni Tàpies & many other great artists.

Beate Elsen Schwedler, curator of the Collection Würth, chose paintings of Pete Kilkenny to be incorporated into the catalogue and exhibition "Menagerie" in 2013 along with works by Segantini, Max Liebermann, Heinrich von Zügel, Georg Baselitz, Joseph Beuys, Picasso and other prominent artists.

I am extremely grateful for the above mentioned collectors and curators of art, Annette & Peter Nobel and their art historian and assistant to the, "Press Art", Collection and indebted to the wonderful and charming Beate Elsen Schwedler for her to choose my works to be included in the Menagerie exhibition. 

It just goes to show that David Nash is not the be all and end all when it comes to what does well and what does not.

Dates & stuff:

1962 born in Doncaster, England

1976 shows strong interest for all aspects of art, painting, printmaking, Silkscreen & Etching

1978-80 Design and Technology School
- worked with wood, plastics & metal
  silkscreen printing, etching & lithography

1980-81 Art Foundation Course - Obligatory
- Etching
- Lithography & Silkscreen
- Drawing
- Photography
- Art History

1981-84 Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art, Newcastle University
- Painting & Printmaking

1984-1987 World Tour Europe, Greece, Israel, Asia
- in these years lived as a street musician, drawing, writing & embroidery