Peter Godwin
Born Sydney, Australia
Lives & Works Central Coast (Kuring-gai)
“Through the use of a wonderfully subdued colour palette and clever composition with empty voids, Godwin is able to produce entrancing images that are not overloaded with weighty meaning but highlight the evocative pleasures and joy of a wistful paint-loaded brush.
Languid, flowing lines sweep through his pictures, delineating the forms of a chair, couch or interior screen. What may seem mundane at first thought is transformed into a vital living space. The way Godwin works his spatial relationships in his compositions allows for a transformative effect on these somewhat representational rooms and still-lifes which almost straddle abstraction.
In his work there is a slow, systematic approach of the painter’s craft, which utilises the element of pattern, creating fascinating still-lifes that look alive. Familiar motifs become objects of discovery and reinvention, and are well used by the artist. Oceanic artefacts, shells, fabric and sculpture, from his own collection, are paired with birds, squid or fish strewn across tabletops. His works show a curiosity, an interest in the painter’s world and enjoyment of the craft.” -A.J. Edwards, Arts Writer
A graduate of the National Art School, Peter Godwin lectured in painting, drawing and printmaking at the school for many years. He was awarded the Gruner Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in 1979 and again in 1985. He has been a recipient of the Mosman Art Prize and has also hung as a finalist in the Sulman Prize at the Art Gallery of NSW.
His work is held in numerous private and public collections, including the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Orange Regional Gallery, Parliament House Collection, Sydney and the National Gallery of Australia. A major survey exhibition of his work, Space, Light & Time, was shown at Orange Regional Gallery in 2024 and S.H. Ervin Gallery in Sydney in 2025.
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Peter GodwinBlack Fish, 2025tempera emulsion & graphite on Italian gesso on board28 x 36 cm, 37 x 45 cm (framed)Sold
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Peter GodwinBlack Fish I, 2025tempera emulsion & graphite on Italian gesso on board28 x 36 cm, 37 x 45 cm (framed)$4,200
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Peter GodwinBlack Mountain , 2022hand painted carborundum relief246 x 244 cm, 249 x 256 cm (framed, diptych)Edition of 3$19,900
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Peter GodwinCanvas, Easel, Venus and HH, 2025tempera emulsion & graphite on Italian gesso on board30.5 x 22.5 cm, 39.5 x 31.5 cm (framed)Sold
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Peter GodwinChinese Chest and HH, 2025tempera emulsion & graphite on linen36 x 25.5 cm, 45 x 34.5 cm (framed)Sold
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Peter GodwinDark Mountain, Li River, 2014mezzotint30 x 40.5 cm, 42 x 44 cm (framed)Edition of 30$1,250
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Peter GodwinDrawing on Canvas, Green, 2025tempera emulsion & graphite on Italian gesso on board36 x 28 cm, 45 x 37 cm (framed)Sold
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Peter GodwinDrawing on Easel, 2025tempera emulsion & graphite on Italian gesso on board30.5 x 22.5 cm, 39.5 x 31.5 cm (framed)Sold
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Peter GodwinHarp, Marquette, Black Pear and Lemon, 2020tempera emulsion on hemp on board49.5 x 66 cm (framed)$12,000
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Peter GodwinInterior with Highland War Shield, 2009egg tempera on hemp on board122 x 180 cm$54,000
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Peter GodwinMask and Shadow, 2025tempera emulsion & graphite on Italian gesso on board28 x 36 cm, 37 x 45 cm (framed)Sold
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Peter GodwinMask, Maquette, Red I, 2019tempera emulsion on italian gesso on marine ply30 x 50 cm (framed)$7,700
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Peter GodwinMusic, Mask, Orange, 2019tempera emulsion on italian gesso on marine ply30 x 50 cm (framed)$7,700
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Peter GodwinNight Studio with Mountain Study , 2025tempera emulsion & graphite on linen133 x 244 cm, 137 x 248 cm (framed)$58,000
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Peter GodwinNotes to Oneself Exhibition Catalogue, 2025Edition of 150$30
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Peter GodwinOpen Canvas, 2025tempera emulsion & graphite on Italian gesso on board30.5 x 22.5 cm, 39.5 x 31.5 cm (framed)Sold
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Peter GodwinQuiet Studio (diptych), 2025tempera emulsion & graphite on board30.5 x 45.5 cm, 39.5 x 54.5 cm (framed)Sold
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Peter GodwinRiver, Mountain, Cloud - Li River Variations, China 2014-2015, 2015Paperback21 x 27.5 cmEdition of 13$20
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Peter GodwinStudio, 2025tempera emulsion & graphite on Italian gesso on board36 x 28 cm, 45 x 37 cm (framed)Sold
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Peter GodwinStudio Interior with Kwoma Cult Figure, 2025tempera emulsion & graphite on Italian gesso on board41 x 51 cm, 50 x 60 cm (framed)Sold
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Peter GodwinStudio Interior with Magpie and Mountain Studies, 2025tempera emulsion & graphite on linen76.5 x 76.5 cm, 80.5 x 80.5 cm (framed)Sold
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Peter GodwinStudio Interior with Mask and Mountain Studies, 2025tempera emulsion & graphite on Italian gesso on board41 x 51 cm, 50 x 60 cm (framed)
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Peter GodwinStudio Interior with Mountain Study, 2025tempera emulsion & graphite on linen76.5 x 76.5 cm, 80.5 x 80.5 cm (framed)Sold
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Peter GodwinStudio Interior with Sepik Mask, 2025tempera emulsion & graphite on linen122.5 x 122.5 cm, 126.5 x 126.5 cm (framed)$32,000
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Peter GodwinStudio Table with Trobriand Island Figure and Masks, 2025tempera emulsion & graphite on linen76.5 x 76.5 cm, 80.5 x 80.5 cm (framed)$18,000
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Peter GodwinStudio Table with Trobriand Island Figures and Study for Mountain and Moon, 2025tempera emulsion & graphite on linen76.5 x 76.5 cm, 80.5 x 80.5 cm (framed)Sold
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Peter GodwinStudio Table, Study for Mountains, Masks and HH Reflection, 2025tempera emulsion & graphite on linen76.5 x 76.5 cm, 80.5 x 80.5 cm (framed)$18,000
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Peter GodwinStudio Table, Trobriand Island Figures and Mask, 2025tempera emulsion & graphite on linen122.5 x 122.5 cm, 126.5 x 126.5 cm (framed)$32,000
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Peter GodwinStudio with Bird and Mask, 2025tempera emulsion & graphite on linen38.5 x 38.5 cm, 47.5 x 47.5 cm (framed)Sold
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Peter GodwinStudio with Figure, 2025tempera emulsion & graphite on linen36 x 25.5 cm, 45 x 34.5 cm (framed)Sold
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Peter GodwinStudio with HH, 2025tempera emulsion & graphite on board30.5 x 22.5 cm, 39.5 x 31.5 cm (framed)Sold
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Peter GodwinStudio with Hodgkin Reflection, 2025tempera emulsion & graphite on Italian gesso on board30.5 x 22.5 cm, 39.5 x 31.5 cm (framed)Sold
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Peter GodwinStudio with Marquette, 2025tempera emulsion & graphite on Italian gesso on board30.5 x 40.5 cm, 39.5 x 49.5 cm (framed)Sold
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Peter GodwinStudio with Pedestal Table, 2025tempera emulsion & graphite on linen36 x 25.5 cm, 45 x 34.5 cm (framed)Sold
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Peter GodwinStudio, Bird, Mask and Mountain Drawing, 2025tempera emulsion & graphite on linen38.5 x 38.5 cm, 47.5 x 47.5 cm (framed)Sold
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Peter GodwinStudio, Mask and Study for Mountains, 2025tempera emulsion & graphite on linen36 x 25.5 cm, 45 x 34.5 cm (framed)Sold
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Peter GodwinStudio, Mountain Study, Kwoma Possum Ceramic and HH, 2025tempera emulsion & graphite on linen122.5 x 122.5 cm, 126.5 x 126.5 cm (framed)$32,000
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Peter GodwinStudio, Pedestal Table, Mountain Study and Figure, 2025tempera emulsion & graphite on Italian gesso on board30.5 x 22.5 cm, 39.5 x 31.5 cm (framed)Sold
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Peter GodwinStudio, Shadow, 2025tempera emulsion & graphite on Italian gesso on board36 x 28 cm, 45 x 37 cm (framed)Sold
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Peter GodwinStudio, Shield and Barak Mask, 2025tempera emulsion & graphite on Italian gesso on board40.5 x 40.5 cm, 49.5 x 49.5 cm (framed)Sold
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Peter GodwinStudio, Two Masks, 2025tempera emulsion & graphite on linen30.5 x 20.5 cm, 39.5 x 29.5 cm (framed)Sold
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Peter Godwin
Notes to Oneself 27 Sep - 18 Oct 2025Notes to Oneself presents a new series of interiors by Peter Godwin that are awash with the shifting, ephemerality of light. As the title suggests, the artist returns to thoughts...Read more -
PAPER
Group Exhibition 5 - 26 Apr 2025 -
30 YEARS
Defiance Artists 8 Feb - 1 Mar 2025 -
Peter Godwin
Space, Light & Time Survey Exhibition at SH Ervin Gallery 4 Jan - 2 Mar 2025
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Peter Godwin
Notes to Oneself Exhibition Catalogue 2025 2025Paperback, 48pp pagesRead more
Publisher: Defiance Gallery
ISBN: 978-0-6486279-3-7
Dimensions: 21 x 25 cm -
Peter Godwin
Space, Light & Time Survey Exhibition Catalogue 2024 2024Hard Cover, 80 pages pagesRead more
Publisher: Orange Regional Art Gallery
ISBN: 978-0-645777-4-1
Dimensions: 24.5 x 29.5 cm