Meet Philip Maltman | Painter (artist)

We had the good fortune of connecting with Philip Maltman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Philip, why did you pursue a creative career?
Ever since my baby photographs were taken by the man who became my art teacher I have had a singular desire to make art. As a child all I wanted to do was sit in the house drawing. I’m still the same with studio replacing house.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
At art school I rebelled, (should be what it’s for?) wrote poems all over white canvases and created “events”. I didn’t want to be a painter in any acceptable sense until I left art school and began teaching part time in secondary education (11-18yrs) when I realised that painting may be better than teaching. So I did both, with a wife (Stephanie) and growing family (Oliver and Roland), and I struggled and they put up with it, and I thank them for that. Successes and exhibitions came sporadically and have increased as I get older. An old painter friend, Albert Irvin who gained international success in his sixties and continued to his death at 93 once told me that “painting’s an old man’s game” and that is a useful belief to keep you going to the studio. Of course confidence grows with age and practice, and that is perhaps the most important attribute to have, at any age! My painting follows on from the British traditions of landscape painting which I manipulate to find new perspectives using maps and adjusted copies of works by Constable and Turner among others. Cy Twombly’s abstractions from nature as well as those of Claude Monet are a regular inspiration. My recent series of “A Flower of the Mountain “ paintings are based on that quote from James Joyce whom I regard as a hero. And lastly but not least Don van Vliet, (Captain Beefheart) was a friend and massive influence over a couple of years in the early 70’s.
So my three artists are James Joyce, Cy Twombly and Don van Vliet.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This is a difficult one as I am really quite hermetic and do not eat out often or travel very far. I love my home, studio, and family. I live in West Dulwich in South London. Dulwich has England’s first Public Art Gallery and is quite beautiful as is the surrounding Dulwich Village, so a great place to visit.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My art teacher was Bill Lockhart at Cardrick Academy in Ayrshire, Scotland, my art school lecturer was Brian Fielding at Ravensbourne College of Art. These two were hard taskmasters but very warm and friendly personalities. Cy Twombly is a major influence and I met his associate Nicola del Roscio in 2018 and have corresponded with him since which provides a source of meditative energy for my work.

Website: www.philipmaltman.com

Instagram: @philipmaltman

Twitter: @philipmaltman

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/philip.maltman

Image Credits
All photos by Philip Maltman