Philip D. Hawkins FGRA

Railway Locomotive & Train Art Prints and Greetings Birthday Cards

Philip D. Hawkins FGRA is a name synonymous with the Railway Art world and is rightly considered one of Britain's finest painters of the Railway world. He is also a founder member, past President and Fellow of the Guild of Railway Artists.

Born in 1950, Philip D. Hawkins was born and grew up in the West Midlands where, after leaving Lordswood Boys' Technical School, he attended Birmingham College of Art and Design graduating as a Technical Illustrator. As such he worked in the railway industry at Metro-Cammell Ltd at their Washwood Heath, Birmingham headquarters. This was a time when the company were still involved in locomotive and rolling stock design and construction. During this period Philip was occupied with creating artists impressions of company products to display to clients before actual construction, working from blueprints prepared in the companies extensive drawing office. Running parallel with this 'proper job' he also found time to paint and indulge his passion for photography. The latter interest led to a job offer from a local newspaper to join their ranks as a press photographer which was accepted and led to a two year spell covering anything from fashion and sport to Father Christmas arriving at Solihull in a helicopter.

His art, though, exerted an irresistible attraction and the decision was taken in 1978 to attempt to make a living with his painting. To specialise in railways came quite naturally as this had been an abiding interest since when, as a boy living in Winson Green, Birmingham he was held, spellbound, by the procession of trains that passed on the embankment that dominated the view from the back yard.

Over the years his paintings have been acquired for collections in the UK and many other parts of the world. Commissions for private individuals and corporate concerns, particularly railway oriented companies, now account for the majority of his output with the result that Freightliner, European Passenger Services, Virgin Trains, Docklands Light Railway, Midland Metro, Bombardier Transportation, Waterman Railways Heritage Trust and DB Schenker are among the extensive client list. In addition, two books of his work have been published

Philip now lives and works in Dawlish, Devon. Hansen Fine Art have stocked his open-edition Railway Art Prints for a number of years and have a large number of blank birthday and greetings cards celebrating his wonderful railway art.