Neil Pont lives in Northumberland and paints in watercolour and pastel.  He has a growing group of admirers who appreciate the variety of his work and his willingness to try something new.  There are several homes in North East England that now have a good collection of ‘Ponts’.

He regularly exhibits at the Moot Hall Gallery, Hexham and opens his studio, in Stocksfield, as a member of the Tynedale Artists Network ‘Art Tour’.  His work is largely inspired by his regular visits to South West France and his adopted country – Northumbria.

Biography

Born: 1951, Ninfield, East Sussex

Educated: Bexhill Grammar School and Newcastle University

Qualifications:

• B.A. Hons (Modern and Medieval History)

• P.G.C.E

• M.Ed

Career:

• Middle school teacher, 1973-86

• Middle school Deputy Headteacher, 1986-90

• Middle school Headteacher, 1990-2003

• Action Zone Director, 2003 - present

“I have had no formal art training.  I can’t remember even being given the opportunity to do Art ‘O level’ all those years ago – more Latin seemed to be the order of the day. I do remember though that I always had colouring books as a young child and winning a couple of competitions – one at the local village show and one in my Mum’s copy of ‘Woman’s Own’! So, I’ve always enjoyed drawing and painting and have dabbled all my life. The breakthrough came in the early 1990s when I decided to go on a painting holiday – at Escat, in the foothills of the Pyrenees, where Maggie Horner was the tutor. And the rest, as they say, is history. I was hooked – both on this type of holiday and on painting. I have lost count of the number of art holidays I have enjoyed and the various tutors I have worked with – most of whom have been instrumental in my development. I return regularly to one location – Atelier Soulondre in Lodeve, near Montpellier. Here I grow fatter at the table of Sally McEwen and share a studio with her husband David, whom International Artist magazine have quite rightly dubbed a ‘Master Painter of the World’. David Tress, who works as a tutor for Bob and Carla Schaap at Pourpry in the Tarn, has been a big influence on my recent pastel paintings. You can view some of my images on the student gallery page of Brian Rusher’s web-site. Six of the landscapes are mine but you’ll have to guess which ones as they unattributed – you could find out by contacting Brian via the site. I have also exhibited at a vibrant new gallery in the hamlet of Newton in Northumberland – I recommend a visit to www.fifiefofum.com.”  

Exhibitions

“As the output from my painting holidays grew and I shared my pictures with my friends, it became clear that people seemed to like them. So, I plucked up the courage to have a one-day private exhibition in the house of a friend who had a suitable viewing space. And, lo and behold, my pictures sold. Next I shared a week-long public exhibition with my painter friend Malcolm Teasdale (www.artnorthumbria.co.uk) which also went well. The big step was the solo exhibition I held in Hexham in 2002. It was a success beyond my dreams – 27 paintings sold in a week.Prints were made of the most popular paintings in the exhibition which continue to sell well. Regular exhibitions have followed and my studio (rather a grand name for my living room!) is open in the summer. All I need now is the time and energy to develop further – I am still very much a ‘holiday time’ painter as I follow a full-time career in education. However, I have undertaken commissions – including my first portraits, animal and human.”  

Statement  

“I’m sorry but I can’t stand the navel-gazing incomprehensible garbage that some people write about their artistic endeavours.I enjoy making images that please me and that are appreciated by others. I enjoy the materials themselves – beautifully textured hand-made papers; a big squidge of pure watercolour; fat crumbly Unison pastels. I enjoy trying things out and then becoming more skilful in the techniques I’ve used. I love putting colours together in a way that just seems right – I don’t feel the need to copy nature exactly. I do sometimes use photographs and I buy loads of books and magazines about art and artists so that I often am inspired and guided by the works of others. I don’t have one particular style – and I hope I never have.”