P. Colbert is a Ottawa-based artist known mainly for his interpretive landscapes which run into the abstract, as well as his figurative paintings. His paintings can be found in galleries in Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia, and in the homes of collectors spanning North America and Europe. He has won awards in both commercial art, where he spent more than 20 years as a designer and illustrator, and in fine art, which he now practices on a full-time basis. In 2007 he won the “Prix Arts Visuels” at the Festival International Montréal, en Arts, has appeared on television giving demonstrations of his unique painting style. With colour, composition and style being some of the key ingredients he looks at, Peter believes the “fresh” spontaneity he brings to his work is his signature. Artist's Statement:Art is one of our last refuges, a celebration of our voice, our perspective. It's our visual connection to the times we live in, at it's best a brief piece of history and fortunately for me it's what I was born to do.A long time ago I decided that as far as my art goes, I wouldn't be one of those who may be caught up with rendering or reproducing real life, with highlights and thousands of hairs on a head, although I started out that way. I figured my imagination and creativity were assets which should be used to maximum effort. I explored my own voice, my own vision, with every stroke and nuance of colour altering the course of each painting on the fly. To me, every painting has to be a unique experience, the result of the total creative process which my years of drawing, painting and mixing colour have taught me. In the same way that a sculptor carves out excess marble, I continually find myself working to cut out the clutter in my painting, as it distracts from the essential elements on the canvas.