Peter Reddick was born in Upminster, Essex, in 1924. Both his parents weremembers of the Society of Friends (Quakers) and he too joined the Societyat 16. He registered as a conscientious objector in 1942 and spent the Wardoing land work. He trained at: South East Essex Technical College and Schoolof Art 1941-1942; Guildford School of Art 1946-1947; Cardiff School ofArt 1947-1948; Slade School of Fine Art, London 1948-1951; London Collegeof Printing 1959 - 1960. Between 1963 and 1967 he was a Lecturer at GlasgowSchool of Art and then held the post of Senior Lecturer at Bristol Polytechnicbetween 1967 and 1989.
He has described his influences as a student as being the English Romanticengravers and the work of Blair Hughes Stanton, Gertrude Hermes, Edward Bawdenand Eric Ravilious and his early work as being romanticruralist.
On leaving college he sought employment as a book illustrator but was unableto make a living. The work he did find was teaching lithography, lettering,calligraphy and, later, typography at Regent Street Polytechnic, London (1951-1957). Also, commissions for brush-drawn lettered book jacket from JonathanCape, London, and freelance and studio based design work. In 1958 Peter Reddickcaught Poliomyelitis (Polio) which dictated that he concentrate on work asa typographer and designer.
In 1960 Peter Reddick and his wife and their three children left Englandfor Kumasi in Ghana where Peter Reddick took up a post as Lecturer in CommercialDesign at Kumasi College of Science and Technology. Whilst in Ghana, Reddickmade some wood engravings of Ghanaian scenery and characters that appearedin the journal Motif, no. 7, Summer, 1961.He was also commissioned to design covers for number of Penguin Book editionsof the novels of Daphne du Maurier.
In 1962 Peter Reddick returned to England and from 1963 to 1967 he taughtdesign at the Glasgow School of Art. From 1967until 1989 he taught illustrationin the Department of Graphic Design at the West of England College of Art(later Bristol Polytechnic).
During his period as a teacher Peter Reddick has also illustrated booksfor the Folio Society (particularly the work of Thomas Hardy and Anthony Trollope),Gregynog Press, Limited Editions Club, New York, Readers Digest amongst otherpublishers. He also makes water-colours and coloured woodcuts.
Peter Reddick was a founder member of Bristol Artspace and is Chairmanof the Spike Island Printmakers workshop, Bristol. He exhibits with the RoyalWest of England Academy and the Society of Wood Engravers. He was made GregynogArts Fellow between 1979 and 1980.
