Patrick Procktor, a charismatic painter celebrated for his refined use of color and form, was the younger son of an oil business accountant. Born in Dublin, Procktor moved to London following his father’s death in 1940. He began his education at Highgate School at the age of ten, where he was tutored by landscape artist Kyffin Williams, initially aiming to specialize in classics. However, financial constraints following his father’s passing forced him to abandon his plans for further education.

At 18, Procktor was drafted into the Royal Navy, where he learned Russian during his National Service. After his discharge, he worked as a Russian interpreter for the British Council, often traveling to the Soviet Union. In his spare time, Procktor pursued painting and drawing. His artistic talent led to his acceptance at the Slade School in 1958, where William Coldstream, a significant figure in fine art, was teaching.

Procktor’s unique abilities flourished, particularly after meeting Keith Vaughan and later encountering David Hockney, then a student at the Royal College of Art. Procktor’s professional art career quickly gained momentum, and by the age of 67, he had held his first exhibition at the Redfern Gallery in Cork Street, London. A year later, he was featured in the influential Whitechapel Gallery New Generation exhibition, curated by Bryan Robertson, alongside artists like Hockney, Bridget Riley, and John Hoyland.

While Procktor primarily worked with oils and acrylics, he also extensively used watercolors, a choice that set him apart from his contemporaries. His technique in this medium was indicative of his distinctive approach to art. Procktor often used thin acrylic washes to create portraits of friends, including David Hockney, and romantic landscapes inspired by his travels to Venice, Mumbai, China, and Japan.

Some of Procktor’s watercolor portraits might remind contemporary viewers of Elizabeth Peyton’s pop-hip portraits, sharing a similar blend of casualness and aesthetic elegance. However, it’s his work in oils and acrylics, where he combined clarity with a poet’s sensitivity, that arguably stands as his most significant achievement. The latter part of Procktor’s career saw a decline in commercial success, potentially due to his use of watercolors. In contrast, his works in oil and acrylic remain more sought after in the art market.