From Steam Engines to Rock Legends: The Art of Kevin Parrish

From childhood sketches in Birmingham to commissions inspired by railways, rock music and science fiction, artist Kevin Parrish has spent decades turning his passions into paintings.

For Birmingham-born artist Kevin Parrish, creativity began with a pencil, a family photograph and a determination to capture more than just a face.

Growing up in the 1950s and 60s, Kevin spent hours sketching portraits of relatives from photographic prints. Even then, his goal was not simply accuracy. He wanted his drawings to reveal something deeper; the personality and spirit of the person he was portraying. Encouraged by his family, what began as a childhood pastime gradually developed into a lifelong creative pursuit.

 

Another fascination soon found its way into his artwork: steam locomotives.

A Christmas gift from his grandfather was The Observer’s Book of Steam Locomotives which opened the door to the rich world of Britain’s railway history. The book introduced Kevin to the wide variety of locomotives operating across the country during the 1960s, and trains quickly became a favourite subject in his drawings and later his paintings.

The dramatic railway artwork of renowned painter Terence Cuneo, often seen on the covers of model railway catalogues, also left a lasting impression. Cuneo’s work showed how movement, atmosphere and engineering could be captured on canvas.

“My challenge was always to capture not just the likeness of a subject, but their soul as well.”

Today Kevin works from a small home studio where preparation forms the foundation of every painting. He begins by developing rough sketches on a drawing board to establish the composition before moving to the final canvas.

Photographs provide useful reference material, but Kevin avoids copying them directly.

“Photographs can sometimes mislead the eye,” he explains. “It’s much more satisfying to create something new rather than simply reproduce an image.”

Whenever possible he prefers to gather his own reference material. When painting canal scenes, for example, he often walks along the towpaths photographing narrowboats and waterways that later inspire studio work.

 

Kevin has worked primarily in oil paint, valuing the medium for its flexibility and richness of colour. The slow drying time allows him to manipulate the paint easily, building texture and atmosphere across the canvas. In recent years he has switched to water-based oils rather than traditional solvents for health reasons.

Hours can pass quickly in the studio while he works, usually with music playing through headphones or a CD player.

“Time passes quickly when I’m painting. I’ll often listen to music while working — it helps me get lost in the process.”

Over the past three decades Kevin has completed numerous railway commissions, working closely with collectors to develop accurate and atmospheric compositions. Each project begins with careful research, assembling reference material and studying historical details before work begins.

During the early 2000s his gallery agent noticed a particular strength in Kevin’s monochrome paintings. By starting with a canvas painted black and gradually building tones from dark to light, he developed a distinctive style composed of subtle shades of grey. The result gave his work a striking, atmospheric quality that proved popular with collectors.

When Music Became a Canvas

Music has also played a significant role in Kevin’s artistic journey. A lifelong fan of rock and pop, he began creating portrait montage artworks inspired by musicians during the 1990s.

One of his favourite bands was the Birmingham group The Moody Blues, whose lyrics and imagery inspired a series of imaginative compositions. Using photographs for reference, Kevin created montage-style artworks that captured the likeness of the band members while interpreting the mood of their music visually.

These works attracted attention within fan communities and appeared on the covers of fan club newsletters. In 1997 Kevin was commissioned by Paul Bliss to create the cover artwork for his album Edge of Coincidence, bringing Kevin’s work to a wider international audience of fans.

Other musical inspirations followed. Kevin produced artwork inspired by the progressive rock band Yes, with one piece later featured in a DVD release by Impact Films in 2007. Portrait montages of Cliff Richard and The Shadows were also recognised by the Cliff Richard fan club.

 

Beyond music, Kevin’s love of science fiction, particularly the long-running television series Doctor Who, inspired another series of portrait montage paintings. These works appeared in fan publications in both the UK and the United States, and in 2007 one of his Doctor Who artworks was reproduced as a jigsaw puzzle.

 

Throughout his career Kevin has also supported charitable causes, particularly those connected with the preserved railway community.

Like many artists, he admits there are always unfinished pieces waiting patiently in the studio; ideas paused while new commissions or inspirations take priority.

Today Kevin continues to paint from his home studio, sharing his work with collectors and enthusiasts around the world.

Explore more of Kevin Parrish’s work online:
www.kevinparrish.co.uk

Artist statement

Planet Earth, our Home world is a beautiful planet suspended in space.
It is all that we have to stand on you and I.
It is our life.
We follow the Sun giving us light and life, as we orbit our star once every 365 and a quarter days.
We all need each other in this life and yet we seem to have forgotten our sense of order to enable us to live in peace, love and harmony on our homeworld.
Our satellite Moon, giving us our seasons and ocean tides along with our trees, mountains, flowers, birds, insects, animals, are all important in the thread of life and are part of
our very existence.
Over recent times we seem to have become disconnected from the natural world around us..
We must reconnect with it in order to survive in an ever more material and consumer world.
My hopes wishes and dreams