"The First" Gallery

Peter Markey Exhibition Catalogue and Home Page

Wave Machine

Wave Machine with Watcher and Planes   c1995   c30 x 60 x 30

Peter Markey Models

(click heading to enter in all cases)

Birds among Trees 2000   34 x 31 x 13.5
Colourful Bird 2005   12 x 11 x 3
Flamenco Dancer & Guitarist 2004   31 x 19 x 5
Grey Roller Rope Wave Machine 2000   21 x 20 x 25
Kissing Couple 2004   12 x 10 x 4.5
Rower with Seagull 2002   15 x 26 x 20.5
small Roller Wave Machine c1999   7 x 10.5 x 11.5
Swirling Fish 2003   28.5 x 22.5 x 17.5
Swords for Peace 2003   22 x 46 x 10
Tennis Players 2005   17 x 36.5 x 12
Wave Machine with Watcher and Planes   c1995   c30 x 60 x 30

All models are plain or painted wood
Size (height x width x depth, cm) refers to structure of models, not including base (which is however integral and signed)

Peter Markey Pictures First Folio

A Man, Birds and Chairs   19 x 22
Aerial Walkway, South London 1993   alkyd   25.5 x 30.5
Art Gallery, Aberystwyth University   25.5 x 30.5
Barn, Gellidywyll 1   24 x 31
Barn, Gellidywyll 2   24.5 x 30
Birds in a Tree   22 x 21.5
Black & White Bird 2 + Flying Bird   on card   12 x 12
Brecon Farm 1   19.5 x 30.5
Brecon Farm 2   19.5 x 30.5
Bright Bird + Black & White Bird 1   15 x 12.5
Dew on Trees  19.5 x  22.5
Fog, Falmouth   21 x 29.5
Hill Walk 2   30.5 x 36.5
Lane with Trees 1   30.5 x 25.5
Jar of Water 1 + 2   15 x 12.5
Lane with Trees 2   30 x 22.5
Motorway Interchange, Glasgow 1993   alkyd   25.5 x 30.5
Paper Landscape 2   22.5 x 15

Size: height x width, cm

Peter Markey Pictures Second Folio

Cyclamen   38 x 30.5
Paper Landscape 3   22.5 x 22.5
Pebble Beach   23 x 30
Pedestrian Underpass, South London 1993   alkyd   25.5 x 30.5
Pier   22.5 x 29
Polystyrene Shapes 1   31.5 x 22.5
Polystyrene Shapes 2   30.5 x 25.5
Reflections   26.5 x 22
Rhuddallt, Bontddu 1   15.5 x 22.5
Rhuddallt, Bontddu 2   22.5 x 15.5
Road to Aberystwyth   25.5 x 30.5
Stream 1   36.5 x 30.5
Stream 2   38 x 30.5
Streptocarpus 1   36 x 30
Sun in New York   23 x 23
White Flowers in Snow   26.5 x 25.5
Sparkling Leaves   29 x 35

Size: height x width, cm
All dates 2005 and all media acrylic and emulsion on board except where stated.

See some examples of other contributed works here

PETER MARKEY at 75
40 NEW PAINTINGS and a selection from the last 25 years 20 RECENT AUTOMATA and many earlier pieces

Sat 3-Sat 17 September 2005
2-7pm daily, other times by appt
Open Morning Sunday 18 Sept 10.30-12.30

Kissing Couple "Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn": the line might have been written for Peter Markey. Here he is, enthusiasm undimmed, original ideas flowing out of him like a youngster, at an age often thought of as time to take it easy. He no longer wears psychedelic colours: no point in it now, since fashion encourages it. Maybe he sleeps a little more than he used to, but in the old days he seemed to scarcely sleep at all! He gave up being an art teacher in the 80s, after 20 years at secondary schools in London and Falmouth. He used to lead automata-workshops up and down the country but is now too busy with his painting and models.

When he took the plunge into art full time, he worked in card, making cut-away boxes containing fascinating static scenes. The buying public was resistant to paper (although in the right atmosphere it is durable) so he concentrated on wood, which eventually led to the automata.

Cabaret, the remarkable Museum of Mechanical Theatre (late of Covent Garden) started as a little craft shop in Falmouth, run by Sue Jackson, who encouraged both Peter Markey and Paul Spooner by showing their work (later building on this by including others). Thanks to her vision and their creative spirit, the rest is history and their exhibits are widely seen, not only in this country but internationally: see more background at www.Cabaret.co.uk

However, Peter initially trained as a painter, at the Art College in his native Swansea. As automata took over his output, he painted less and less, and his pictures were rarely seen until 1990, with the launch of The Animated Eye. This one-man national touring exhibition, focussing on his pictures, was so successful that it was taken off the road to replace works sold. From 1992, with new paintings and (by popular request) 30 models, it toured almost non-stop until the year 2000, being seen by tens of thousands of people.

Apart from the tour, this is our third Peter Markey solo show. Happily, we celebrate his birthday as the highlight of our 30th Anniversary Season. As our ethos is to encourage others to achieve their potential, we enjoy spotlighting lesser known facets of accomplished makers: it is fitting, then, that all Peter's shows here have echoed both sides of his oeuvre. He himself never changes (he is still the same irrepressible saintly maverick!) but the pictures and the models have moved on. However, the singular vision remains unmistakably Peter Markey. He has earned the high regard and affection of many: artists, craftspeople and others with whom he has come into contact. Even busy, eminent fellow makers are expressing this, by contributing their work alongside Peter's show.

See some examples of other contributed works here

Well-behaved children, including those aged 18 to 98, are welcome. Badly-behaved children, however, are strictly to be left at home, where they - like you - can enjoy much of the show here on the Web. Some of the automata have been animated in short clips, so can be viewed in their full (inter)active glory.

Newsletter with Report of Peter's Birthday Party

Back to First Gallery Home Page