Peter Churcher

The master at work

Filmed in Victoria

The master at work is an intimate portrait of the artist at work. This beautiful film of PETER CHURCHER, painting with the skill and precision of a European old master, is a must for all those who want to know how great art is created.

PETER CHURCHER paints people, the street kids, the scientists, the business people and the leaders that form the canvas of Australian society.

PETER receives a phone call while on holiday at the beach, can you be the next Australian war artist? Find out what happened in the Persian Gulf and Afghanistan.

Hear about PETER’s adventures in Tuscany with JEFFREY SMART as he paints a portrait for the Archibald prize and get a taste of Barcelona on PETER’s latest European expedition.

Since this film was made PETER CHURCHER has moved to Barcelona in Spain. The master at work records the period prior to PETER’s departure and allows a glimpse of the artist’s search for the further development of his work.

“For me every time I look at one of those great masters, Velázquez, Goya or Rembrandt, it is like a reminder, they just remind me how it should be done.

In the old days when I would travel to Europe once every two years and cram a lot of old master looking into a few short weeks, I would try and take note of all these reminders and lessons I was learning back to Australia with me. Now because I am living there I am having a more regular and continuous access.

I am being reminded of this on a more constant level and what they are basically reminding me is, you know, that less is more, don’t fuss around with the peripheral things but get to the heart of the matter. Paint with real conviction, real acuity, with that sense of sharpness of the eye. And every time I see these pictures I am reminded of this and I can go straight back to the studio and apply it to my own practice”.