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Warwickshire Railways: Railway Art

Kevin Parrish, member of Guild Of Railway Artists

Born in Birmingham in the 1950's, Kevin's first encounter with a steam locomotive was in Powys, Wales. As a child he used to watch freight trains, hauled by Stanier 8fs trundle past his Grandparents house in a village near Builth Wells.The mechanical motion, coupled with the hissing sounds of steam and smoke were to him like watching an almost living thing. During the Summers of the 1960's Kevin also remembers spending his childhood holidays at Barmouth and Harlech, North Wales watching the steam trains crossing The Mawdach Estuary and snaking their way around the welsh mountains with their trails of smoke. To him they seemed to be part of nature. Soon after he received a birthday present called The Observer's Book Of Steam Locomotives. He was fascinated by all the different types of locomotive in the book and was absorbed by all the descriptions of each type. The book soon became rather tatty through constant use.

Accompanying a school friend to Saltley engine sheds in Birmingham during the 1960's was an amazing experience for Kevin. He met his school friend's father who was an engine driver. He remembers the hissing sounds in the confined spaces were deafening, and all the grime, dirt and smell of steam that went with it. He also remembers standing on Platform 10 at New Street Station in the early 1960's watching all the station activity. This platform is depicted on 'Waiting For The Train' (see below).

In the meantime Kevin sketched steam locomotives at school and always dreamed of painting them later in life. However at 17 Kevin embarked on a Civil Engineering career for 24 years which widened his horizons and expanded his ideas considerably working in UK and overseas. In 1993 he joined 'The Guild Of Railway Artists'. This opened his eyes to the potential of what could be done in the art world.

Slowly Kevin's ideas evolved into a nostalgic theme. He has been published by Newcomers Gallery in the late 1990's with a series of open edition prints with a transport theme. Teddy Bear's Picnic was published in 2006 by Buckingham Fine Arts as a Limited Print of 195. Kevin is an Associate Member of 'The Guild Of Railway Artists' in Warwick Kevin's art has been published and has appeared on calendars, jigsaw puzzles, CD's etc. His art has been featured in magazines and the Press. His website addresses are www.kevinparrish.co.uk and www.kevinparrishart.com

All the images on this page, and the linked larger versions, are copyright of Kevin Parrish ARA. None maybe used without the artists' permission.

Passengers patiently wait for the next train to arrive at a draughty cold Platform 10 in New Street Station in the early 1960s
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K_Parrish
Waiting for the Train
Railway staff look on as a boy holding his tedy bear waits to board his first steam train in around 1910 at New Street Station, Birmingham
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K Parrish
Teddys Bears Picnic
An ex-LMS 4-6-0 Patriot Class locomotive runs past Warwick Milverton station on a diverted down express service to Birmingham
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K Parrish
Train on Time
A train spotter cops ex-LMS 2-6-4T No 42395 standing at Platform 4 in the Midland portion of New Street station
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K Parrish
TRAIN ON TIME
A locomotive being serviced under gas lamps around the time of Nationalisation in 1948 at Warwick Milverton Engine shed
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K_Parrish
Warwick Milverton engine shed in 1948