Tim Layzell
Tim was born into a family with a passionate interest in historic motor sport. While still in his pram he was taken to VSCC events at famous venues such as Silverstone, Prescott and Shelsley Walsh. He showed an interest in drawing what he saw – sketching Bugattis, ERAs and Alfa Romeos at the age of 3 – and with family encouragement gradually developed his skills, working first in pastels and pencils before moving up to oils and acrylic paint.
In 1995, at the age of 13, Tim entered and won the British Racing Drivers Club’s prestigious Young Motoring Artist award, open to artists up to the age of 23. Part of the prize was to have his winning paintings – of the victorious Jaguar C type during a pit stop at the 1953 Le Mans 24 Hours and Duncan Hamilton drifting through a Silverstone Corner in an HWM -exhibited alongside some of the World’s greatest motoring artists at the that year’s Coys International Historic Festival at Silverstone.
Tim’s work proved immensely popular and from that moment on his pictures have continued to mature not only as his artistic skills have developed but also as his encyclopaedic knowledge of motor sport history has expanded.
Tim has developed two distinct motoring art styles. In one he paints with an eye to super realism and detail while maintaining an element of nostalgia, reflecting the unique tones provided by the colour photography of the 1950s and early 1960s. In the other equally popular approach he paints in his own distinctive “pop art” style where blocks of colour and strong black lines draw the observer’s eye into the work.
Whichever style is chosen, each subject remains true to the history and heritage of motor racing demanding meticulous research. Tim is able to draw from his own vast library of photographs and motoring books spanning some 70 years. Bristol-based Tim’s favourite subjects embrace everything from the 1930s though to the 1970s but you are unlikely to find him painting Lewis Hamilton!
Tim has been directly been involved in motor sport for many years and is a big fan of the TVR marque. He has rallied, sprinted, hill climbed various models of the Blackpool manufacturer and most recently racing his TVR at the Goodwood Members meeting.
His paintings are collected all over the World and he is regularly commissioned by organisation such as the Royal Automobile Club and Pebble Beach to produce the artwork for their posters. As well as his original artworks he also has an extensive range of giclée prints for sale.
Last Art of Motoring Exhibition: Winter 2023.
