Artist in residence announced for The Greatest Gathering in the UK
Artist in residence announced for The Greatest Gathering in the UK
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Tim O’Brien to paint ‘en plein air’ during Alstom’s three day railway festival this summer
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Nottinghamshire artist has depicted Britain’s railways throughout his 40-year career
14 April 2025 – Alstom, global leader in smart and sustainable mobility, is delighted to announce that Nottinghamshire-based painter Tim O’Brien will be the official artist in residence for The Greatest Gathering in the UK.
Alstom’s three-day festival in Derby forms part of the wider festivities for Railway 200, a year-long celebration marking the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) on 27 September 1825 – and a journey that gave birth to the modern railway.
Thousands of visitors coming to The Greatest Gathering will get to see Tim painting ‘en plein air’, as he captures the rolling stock, atmosphere and architecture on show at Britain’s biggest rail celebration. The French term ‘en plein air’ means ‘in the open air’ and refers to the practice of painting outdoors, surrounded by the artwork’s subject.
“I feel very privileged and honoured to be invited by Alstom to be their official artist in residence and capture this bicentennial celebration in art. I have always been a fan of Terence Cuneo’s railway art and, as a child, I practiced drawing using my Hornby OO gauge steam engines as subjects, so this opportunity is off the scale,” said Tim O’Brien.
He added: “One of the biggest challenges for plein-air artists is not to become overwhelmed by the vast array of topics in front of me at an event like this and attempt to depict too much on a single canvas. I will have to quickly focus on a view and simplify it, so it becomes a study of colour and atmosphere.”
Tim, an award-winning artist, author and tutor was born in Nottingham and now lives in the market town of Bingham. He started his 40-year art career as an advertising illustrator before he focused solely on fine art in the mid-1990s.
The 55-year-old has worked on a wide variety of subject matter that has embraced military history, public occasions, rail, maritime and automotive topics. Over the years he has worked with both the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy. This collaboration has given Tim opportunities to go flying with the RAF and spend several days at sea with the Navy on board their aircraft carriers, gathering reference for his art.
Tim’s paintings have been exhibited at venues such as the Mall Galleries in London and Patchings Art Centre in Nottinghamshire. He held his first solo exhibition at the Royal Air Force Club in London in 2015, which led to him being commissioned to paint 25 paintings for permanent display in their dining room that overlooks Green Park.
The Greatest Gathering takes place on Friday 1, Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 August 2025 at Alstom’s historic Litchurch Lane Site in Derby. Britain’s biggest and oldest remaining train factory will be home to more than 50 rolling stock exhibits from the past, present and future of the railways, with the site itself opening to the public for the first time in almost 50 years.
All tickets for the event have now sold out.
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