Tracks on Canvas : The Railway Paintings of Philip d Hawkins

Almost from the dawn of the railway age, the new-fangled form of transport inspired artists; from J M W Turner onwards many of the great names in art history have featured railways to a lesser or greater extent and certain artists, such as the late Terence Cuneo and David Shepherd, have become synonymous with the production of paintings featuring railway acenes. Cuneo and Shepherd were the first two artists to be honoured with the title of Honorary Fellow of the Guild of Railway artists; the third, in 1998, was Philip Hawkins. As with his fellow artists, Hawkins' style is instantly recognisable, conveying not only the accurate representation of the selected scene but also the much more difficult and intangible aspect of 'atmosphere'. For Hawkins, this ability to appreciate the atmosphere of the railway comes from a life-long love of steam locomotives and of the railways in general, an interest developed during his formative years in the West Midlands almost six decades ago. In his first book for OPC, Tracks on Canvas: The Railway Paintings of Philip D Hawkins, which was the first book solely devoted to his work and which was published to critical and commercial acclaim in 1998 and subsequently reprinted, he explored how his childhood experiences influenced his art and photography. In this, his second book, he explores further how he works, the influences upon his style and how the idea is translated from rough to finished painting. As with the earlier book, this new titles includes more than 50 full-colour plates along with numerous preliminary studies, sketches and photographs. Each of the major works portrayed is accompanied by a fascinating description of the subject mater. Tracks on Canvas: The Railway Paintings of Philip D Hawkins was the first new title to be published by Ian Allan Publishing when it acquired the OPC imprint in 1998; it was a privilege to work with the author in completing the first book and it is pleasing that the success of the first volume has enabled OPC to produce a second volume devoted to Philip Hawkins and his work. Publication of this book will further strengthen the author's claims to be on of the greatest railway artists of his generation.