Peter Hobden
The power of painting to express emotions on canvas
Although he discovered his vocation as an artist and painter only later in life, creativity has always been an integral part of Peter Hobden’s life. Considered earlier in his career an IT genius, this Carouge man has always been fascinated by photography, and by digital photography in particular. An artist at heart, he decided after 25 years to leave the security of a permanent job and a fixed set-up in order to establish his own company, “Peter Hobden Images”.
This crucial move marked the beginning of a period of personal growth and the start of an artistic and creative adventure. Following the wishes of his clients, and exploring his own creative impulses, he has built up a large photographic portfolio of original digital images that he has transformed into greetings cards, postcards, invitations or even posters; he has also designed a series of calendars: “Carouge 2007”, “Carouge 2008” and “Geneva 2008”, which were a real success with customers touched by the sensitive and poetic nature of his images. |
Pursuing this personal development and looking to sharpen his photographic eye, at the end of 2006 Peter Hobden began to take drawing and then painting lessons; he was immediately won over by this new means of expression which allowed him to add a personal, emotional and poetic dimension to his chosen craft. The power of painting allowed him to portray his everyday emotions on canvas, to evoke a mood, or even depict a special moment: time spent in Carouge, strolls around Geneva, or a getaway in Provence. |
In only two years, beyond the technical improvement in his work, his initially hesitant and careful painting style underwent a transformation: his brushstrokes became bolder, his colours richer, and contrasts began to appear. With great skill and sensitivity, he manages to create the perfect balance of light, form, and expressiveness. In perfect harmony, twilight scenes combine deep blues with golden luminosity in broad and daring brushstrokes, with a touching authenticity that leaves a lasting impression.
Carouge’s Bio cinema, the victim of a hotchpotch of renovations, Rue du Marché at dawn, the Place d’Armes tram stop on a rainy afternoon, the lake front and the jet d’eau, a farmhouse in the Alpilles… so many canvases reflecting the artist’s extreme sensitivity.
His newfound freedom has also allowed Peter Hobden to develop his artistic potential with calm confidence and to flourish in his new life as an artist and painter. |
One man, two lives
Born in Geneva in 1952 to an English father and a Hungarian mother, Carouge resident Peter Hobden began his working life in 1980 at the ICRC after completing his studies in modern languages at the University of Westminster in London. For more than 20 years, he held various positions as head of project at the Central Tracing Agency, and then worked as a developer in the IT service. Considered a creative and visionary IT genius, he designed original, reliable and effective IT solutions. An artist at heart, his status as an employee, bound by a fixed set-up, led him to go freelance in 2005. This paved the way for major life change and for personal growth in the fields of digital photography and painting.
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Copy by "the Team" – the communication platform – 19 rue de Veyrier – 1227 Carouge
+41 79 449 19 19 – sonja@theteam.ch
Photos: © Peter Hobden
English translation: Natalie Barker – barker_translation@yahoo.co.uk |
Exhibitions
3-13 June 2009 - Solo
"Images de Carouge et d'Ailleurs"
Galerie Delafontaine, Carouge
2-27 November 2009 - Solo
Resaurant du Comité International de ka Croix Rouge, Genève
4-17 novembre 2010 - Collective
Centre International Culturel Chinois
Grand-Sacconex,Genève
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Press
Nouvelles Carouge N° 271, June 2009
Prestige Immobilier N° 18, August 2009
Tribune des Arts, June 2009
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