I am always in awe of other artist’s work in the Fine Arts World. I can learn a lot just by studying and understanding how an artist conveys atmosphere, ambiance and texture in their paintings. Be it in the finish of their sky, landscape or subject chosen. My visit to the Pall Mall Galleries, London to see the Guild of Aviation Artist’s own exhibition – Aviation Paintings Of The Year 2019 – was no exception or disappointment in subject matter, detail and finish. Herewith just a small selection of the excellent work provided by the Guild Of Aviation Artists ( GAvA) at the Pall Mall Gallery this summer.
A Pleasure to the eye…a collection of GAvA beauties at the Pall Mall GalleriesBeautiful Painting of a Spitfire Mk.1 in combat by Artist Simon Atack GAvALovely painting of Fairey Swordfish aircraft flying over a convoy by Artist K. Farmer GAvARAF Group Captain Leonard Cheshire DSO’s Avro Lancaster over Dunkirk by Artist John Bell GAvACaptivating DH Tiger Moth by Artist David Young GAvAAvro Lancaster Dambuster ‘M for Mother ‘ at the Mohne Dam 17th May 1943 by Artist Hamilton GAvALovely detailed work of a WW1 RE8 Biplane from Artist Graham Turner GAVAA dramatic scene between WW1 Biplane and a German Zeppelin by Artist Simon Atack GAvA
Sunday Morning Departure from the Northfields Underground Station, West London
When I got wind that The London Transport Museum were running their 1938 Heritage Rolling Stock this month and that there were seats still available for the occasion I jumped at the chance. It would be Thirty pounds well spent for a two and a half hour excursion to Oakwood Station and back – all on my favourite Piccadilly line. The continued operation of this last preserved and original London Transport stock is in future doubt due to advancement in Signal development on all London Transport Underground systems and lines coming into operation in the near future.
These trains were objects of beauty – built and designed in the elegant age of Art Deco – adorned with varnished matchwood veneers, ornate brass fittings and attractive designed moquette for its seats. It was a different train of thought in design too. Today’s current fleet of Underground Tube trains are a far distant relative to their past distinctive lineage. Present trains have a soft ride with cheap hardened seats as opposed to the 1938 stock which had the harder ride but with far more comfortable seats. Our two and a half hour excursion was a sitting exercise in pure comfort. These were trains I grew up with in London and the ones I have always had the greatest affection for. When they disappeared from our world they remained in our minds. There will never be a replacement vehicle to meet its looks , durability, grace and style again. They are classics to the underground world. Only the Isle Of Wight have a small number of deteriorating 1938 stock but they all were extensively modified – these LT carriages we are travelling on the Piccadilly Line today are what’s left in their original operational specifications – we are so lucky!
Enjoying the company, sounds and scenery 1938 style
I never thought I would be so fortunate enough to get prime position in the leading carriage by the open driver’s cab. I was shocked and elated as this was surely a coveted position to obtain. This was a schoolboy’s dream but of a schoolboy who never grew up! Sitting beside me were a visiting family from Michigan whose son is studying Electrical Engineering at Imperial College, London whilst his mother was raised in San Jose, California and went to U.C Berkeley.
The Office…
The Piccadilly Line has quite an expanse which is on ground level in the outlying suburbs of London before its deep descent below the City. This gave its passengers time to take as many photographs as they wished in full daylight conditions before the train entered the deep tunnel system adding plenty of reflection issues to their camera skills. I was lucky to get a good number of photographs which were worth keeping. Unfortunately, my videos were too lengthy and large in file size to include in this post.
The Volunteer LT staff were all so very friendly, informative, and highly entertaining to its followers…
The northbound driver Kevin was super friendly to everyone and answered any question that was posed to him. It was an absolute privilege and dream come true for me to witness first hand the operation of this historic train through the open door of the driver’s cab. No member of the public has such a treat on the normal revenue service trains. To see Kevin working the Dead Man’s Handle and brake throughout our journey to North London will be an unforgettable experience. I was feeling very lucky today.
Southbound Train Guard Kevin looking slightly pensive before his entertaining Underground Knowledge Quiz Round begins for nearby passengers who could hear him …even this nearby attractive passenger is looking quite distant!
We arrived into our last northbound station Oakwood before the empty train headed up to the Cockfosters Train Depot to change directions. We changed platforms and waited for its return. When it did return to collect us for our journey back to Northfields Station. Train Driver Kevin for our Northbound journey had now changed roles into playing Train Guard in our carriage. He even had the long forgotten Guard’s barrier bar in position to give him the space he needed to move around unheeded. He was so entertaining and informative and gave a fun Quiz of Underground Knowledge for any passenger who could hear his questions over the loud din of the rolling train. I got one answer right but that was because I was sitting close to his station!
A period advertising poster for the Tao Clinic…just about tells you everything wonderfully well!
The return southbound trip was much faster in journey time as there were large portions of the route that were more on a downhill gradient. As we entered each station on the line, the driver blew the train’s distinctive whistle to alert waiting LT staff and passengers for other trains of their golden photo opportunity. There were waves and large smiles from all even if they didn’t know the age of the rolling stock they were witnessing. We arrived back at Northfields Station just after the hour of noon and everyone seemed to have joy on their faces. A wonderful morning full of wonderful people – I only wish I could meet them again! A special wave goes out to Emily!
It is always a pleasure to visit the Royal Institute Of Painters In Watercolours Annual Exhibition at The Galleries at Pall Mall. Situated within this lovely building merely a few hundred yards away from the constant bustle of Trafalgar Square. A retreat from the masses and a relaxing environment for art lovers. In the centre of the first galley a guest portrait artist gave demonstrations of technique and style along with advice and tips to the attentive visitor. An eager lineup of portrait sitters awaited their turn for posing. His work was impressive and he showed an air of calmness as he used broad brush strokes across the watercolour paper. His patient wife, obviously a fellow artist herself, was close by to refill paint, water, paper towels as were needed. The striking portraits. completed around thirty minutes after they were started, became a personal treasured souvenir for the lucky subject.
The quality of painting within the exhibition was, as one would expect, impressive and difficult to judge overall – the majority simply outstanding. I had a number that caught my eye for one reason or another, and not of one subject I would like to add. There were many excellent portraits, landscapes, cityscapes, seascapes to whet the appetite for everyone. Many were my favourites. I saw paintings from individuals I have been introduced to in the past. It was a wonderful morning that three or so hours of my life passed by without any effort or disappointment. They even provided a small cafe serving high quality hot teas and coffees, accompanied by an array of delicious pastries…what more could one wish?! After spending the majority of my painting life in California, I now had wished I had exhibited more of my work in my hometown. This was indeed the incentive. I would recommend all visitors or residents who love Art coming to London to visit this wonderful and often overlooked building of Galleries specializing in all aspects of the art world.
Runswick Bay by M PhinnMother And Daughter by Zhou TianyaBackyard Service No.2 By Geoff ButterworthGuillemots Sea Beat And Tree Mallow By Deborah WalkerThe Horse Fair by John YardleyTeam Talbot Le Mans Classic by Chris MeyersAfter Durer’s Rhino by Australian Artist and Friend Lucy Pulvers
And finally, the quiet and the rough!
Scarborough Spa Early Morning By Lynne WixonWhitby Storm by Anne Ware
It was hard to choose the paintings that could be included within this post as most were so incredibly detailed and full of atmosphere but I hope that they represent the majority of marvellous talent that we have in this world and that was on display at this exhibition.
It is hard to believe that thirty years have passed since the completion of my painting depicting downtown Petaluma, California at night. The once thriving evenings within the Holidaze Bar and Grill on the corner of Western Avenue and Petaluma Blvd. North on Fridays and Saturdays are now just distant memories. The painting depicts a relatively quiet mid week evening with little road or foot traffic visible. The building still remains today but its past bustling business name has disappeared. Behind the building is the once active marina and railroad tracks that were sitting on dilapidated wooden trestles leading to the other local nightspot – Petaluma’s Steamer Gold Restaurant and Bar. The wooden bridge behind the building was also completed in the same year connecting pedestrians from one side of the marina to the other. My first pride and joy, a brand new car in its day is also in this painting. A charcoal gray 1989 Geo Tracker jeep seems to have a special redhead friend from that time sitting in the passenger seat with this lucky artist. I still remember her name as Brenda but I don’t know why?…
The ” Steamer Gold ” Restaurant And Bar, Petaluma, California 1989
Looking westwards from the Steamer Gold building and marina to Western Avenue with the landmark copper clad clock tower from 1934, which sits above the town’s Masonic Lodge building. The Holidaze Bar and Grill sits directly opposite to this building
Vintage billboard signs such as the Coke-Cola sign were adhered onto the brickwork of local businesses. A sign of a bygone age. Today, Petaluma has become much more modernized town and distinctly more larger in scale than the one I knew so well in 1989. I lived in the outlying areas of the town for almost fifteen years before heading northwards towards Santa Rosa and beyond.
On Top Of The World – Looking eastwards over Petaluma, California 1989
You would never have guessed that this sprawling gambling city that never sleeps was once just grass meadows within the vast Nevada desert surrounded by its majestic mountains . Once home to the Navajo Indians, it was a venturing scout named Rafael Rivera who under the expeditionary force of Antonio Armijo in 1821, located this area as part of a trade route expedition using the Old Spanish Trail between New Mexico and California. He called it Las ( The Meadows ) Vegas in 1829.
The Las Vegas Skyline
The site of the original main town, obviously miniscule in size compared to its present cousin, was built up in the early 1900s’ and situated several miles north of the Strip that we know today. By 1940, a new, far larger area south of the original town was chosen and land was purchased to begin the creation of today’s famous city. The first true Casino and Hotel that was built on the Vegas Strip was named El Rancho Vegas and opened in April 1941 by owner Tommy Hull. Where there are casinos, there is more often than not some crime present. His success brought many other business men to Las Vegas and many hotel casinos were built among which the infamous mobster, Bugsy Seigel decided to heavily invest. He had his own casino built here named the Flamingo Hotel along the Strip. This City has also been synonymous with the original Sands Hotel and its lively company of followers :- the late Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Junior and Peter Lawford and many tales, true or not prevail to this day.
The Caesar’s Palace Resort
This city didn’t have to work too hard to get its infamous name “Sin City ” – it actually came naturally. The saying ” What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.! ” comes straight to mind. For most traveling Americans who never wish to leave their own country, this is their favorite resort to visit. They can get a feel, however surreal, of what France, Italy and beyond can offer in an different sort of way.
The Wynn Resort and Casino
Today’s overflowing landscape strongly suggests the extreme surreal nature of this city. From New York, Paris and even Venice are depicted in their own unique way along the Vegas Strip. A slightly smaller than life Eiffel Tower stands proudly over the vast Casino Hall of Hotel Paris which could have easily been shipped directly from France as a miniature prototype. A large Ferris Wheel offers gamblers and visitors panoramic views of the surrounding valley of concrete, neon lights, mountains and desert while thrill seekers can enjoy amusement park rides that adorn the New York skyline buildings. There is something for everyone here, twenty four hours a day!
The Grand Piazza at The Venetian Resort
For those who are not interested in gambling, there are other ways to successfully lose your money during your trip. Each resort has its own vast network of premium shops offering the finest in fashion, fine art, luggage, collectibles and jewelry. Most of them are situated below an artificially created painted sky that seems to have been completed by the same group of professional painters from one casino to the next. It certainly enhances the shopping experience and ambiance!
For the hungry and thirsty, an amazing collection of restaurants at all levels of the palate and wallet. All come at a price. I found Las Vegas unsurprisingly expensive as a day to day exercise but at least my wallet now fits in my pocket!
Overlooking The Mirage Casino & Hotel
I was very impressed by the quality of Fine Art shops that Las Vegas offers to its constantly flowing, transient visitors. In the main shopping areas attached to the Resorts there were a number of outstanding examples to visit. Many were breathtakingly beautiful. The majority were breathtakingly expensive!
The Venetian Resort
It is hard to believe but this was my first time to Sin City after living in California for so many years. I knew it would be a world totally steeped in the surreal and unlike any other place on the globe. I was not disappointed. Just to think that I arrived at such a city that was only an hour and a half away by air from San Francisco was incredible!
Art Critic and Writer Duncan Stewart catches up with the artist in the small picturesque town of Tiburon, with the amazing backdrop of Downtown San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge in view to the south. It is a warm sunny day and sailboats along with ferry boats are out in large numbers on the Bay. There is an air of relaxation and holiday feel here. A perfect location for a follow-up interview.
DS: We certainly got a perfect day to sit outside among these beautiful surroundings and begin this interview.. The weather couldn’t be any better, could it? Our interview in London last year was quite the opposite I remember.
HM: It’s a good reason why I enjoy living in both countries really. I love the fact that when it is hot in California it’s normally a dry heat without the humidity and I can handle that extreme better. Especially in this area where the temperatures can fluctuate dramatically with the presence of wind and fog. I also find the light is different over here and an advantage to painters who work outdoors. We have just experienced a long, hot summer in the UK – very humid and muggy – the kind of weather you would more associate with the East Coast – New York, in particular. I have practically spent the last forty years of my life in this part of the world, with periodical visits to London. I love both locations – London is my true home but the San Francisco Bay Area has become my adopted home. I have completed many of my paintings in both countries – a fact of which I am very proud of.
DS: In this interview I would like to learn a lot more about Huntly, the artist, the man behind the artist and the man in private life – are you of two different personalities? If so, how different?
Although I never think of myself, ever, as a person of two different personalities in life. The person inside me is generally the same whether I am painting at home or out marketing my work or indeed spending my time outside of work with family and friends. Huntly the artist is the constantly creative side and the drive of all my ambitions. It continues within me regardless of whether I’m painting at that moment in time or not. My mood may appear a little more subdued at times when painting, mainly due to my concentration in areas of fine detail but inside I am normally very relaxed and happy – I do enjoy listening to all types of music depending upon my mood at that time and with a strong pot of tea or coffee nearby! I am happy to say that I have always processed a great sense of humour with others in general and I am able to see the funnier side in life. I am more the smiling type in life and generally speaking, easy to get along with. Obviously, like all humans, we can have our moments, can’t we? As to my personal side – it has always been filled with many wonderful family members and friends throughout my life, present and past. They keep me so motivated in life when I need to be – I am the first to say I am so lucky to have them all.
DS: What methods do you engage in to help promote your artwork and the merchandise that is connected within your website? What valuable advice would you give to others starting out in their own on-line art business?
HM: Good question but maybe a lengthy answer from me. Firstly, I have always been a very social individual amongst the public. It’s second nature really. I have spent many years working closely with the general public within my past occupations both in the US and the UK. However, I am quite definitely not the type of person who directly uses my close personal friends and family for any such promotional purposes and financial gains – I would strongly draw the line at that point – but if they wish to willingly assist in getting my name known amongst their friends and contacts then that is another matter entirely – a third party source so to speak. Family members and close friends to me may personally receive my artwork and merchandise in the form of gifts from time to time. That’s as far as it goes. Many years ago in San Francisco, I was invited by a fellow coworker to attend a “tax seminar” at The Fairmont Hotel, promoting the event as an unique opportunity to gain legal funds for trips home to London. It sounded interesting to me when it was first presented but it wasn’t long within the main featured presentation that I realized that it was just another scheme to use your family and friends as ” customers” to buy their household items. It was a total turn off from that point on for me for those very reasons. Business with someone you have never met before keeps the transaction on a strictly business relationship from the start. That’s the reason I like to promote my work on a very business plan basis with the public. I have used social media to help promote my work in the past with mixed results. I have used Twitter for a try out but I found this social vehicle brought few encouraging results I was hoping for me to want to continue. I got bombarded by their continual notification messages. Also, I really never understood how I could gain results with such a limited text message word number allowed. It may work for a President of a country who can say a lot in just a few words but clearly it’s not for me. I think it is a very personal choice which services you use. Facebook has had much more success for me in the past on this subject. Instagram is another site that I have dabbled with over a year or two. Periodically I would post one or two of my artwork items on the site just to see if there were healthy business responses. To be honest, I have yet to see or hear, with any conviction or clear evidence, anyone gaining the terrific results they all claim from any of the main Social Media sites. It maybe pure hype or maybe that I’m in the dark still! Promoting yourself and your website generally takes a great deal of your time and effort to see to fruition. It doesn’t matter which country in the world you decide to start the business within. Its all the same. Time and promotional resources when you are starting out have to be budgeted and directed in a sensible and fundamental way. That’s why I stress to anyone starting out with a new business to refrain from spending endless hours promoting your business with a lot of Social Media sites – limit your time on-line and sites to use as you perfect your outward presentation to the public otherwise the valuable time you need in all the other areas of the business will be wasted away
DS: So what advice would you give someone entering the art world who needs to promote their new on-line business without the extensive use of Social Media?
HM: Absorb everything you can. For that new individual whose starting out in the art world of business I would suggest trying out the following to begin with – focusing the attention about you and your artwork to the local communities. I spend much of my time giving out postcards I have had printed with my artwork on the front and contact information displayed on the back to interested local businesses I normally have frequented within the past. Direct your efforts to businesses such as Family Restaurants, small privately owned Art Galleries and small independent stores that show potential for hanging your work on their walls. Establish a relationship with them. It has worked well for me over my many years I have been in the art business . It is not just the actual artwork you have to offer them but the potential of sales from the various merchandise items you plan to market. You generally can form some kind of an arrangement with the merchant. It still doesn’t stop you from also trying the Social Media sources you have at hand. Working within the local communities can also produce a quicker response to getting your name recognition in the right places and with the right people you need for your future business development. In regards to setting up a new website, I would spend much time in drafting ideas as to the Navigation, Content and Appearance aspects of the site you would like to build. Always see a Professional Web Designer if you feel uneasy or unsure about how to build a professional looking site – it will pay for itself in return visitors and sales every time! Good Luck! Lastly, you can be enthusiastic in your attempts at getting your artwork displayed in an art gallery but owners generally like to see some evidence of past achievements and an ability that you can continually provide them with more profitable inducing work.
Tiburon, California
DS: Your website is very pleasing to visit. It is not overwhelming with gimmicks that are normally used within other sites. Did you have a professional web designer create it for you or was the whole site designed and put together by you personally?
HM: Thank you for your observations. When I first came up with ideas as to what I thought I would like to see within a website of my own, I came up with a fundamentally simple one under a different name. It wasn’t that I was in anyway embarrassed of creating one with my own name but rather I had ideas, should I find the time, of writing a series of books which would be highlighted within this site. It was really a silly idea at the time as time was the one thing I had none to spare! Needless to say, the whole process was lengthy to integrate as I still worked very long hours in an outside employment situation and free time was neither here nor there other than for doing laundry, home cleaning and buying groceries. Progress therefore was unsurprisingly slow. I could come up with ideas in my head as to how the website should be formed but that was as far as it went for quite a while. My life changed around for a short period and in that time I successfully designed the website you see here today. I tried to make navigation easy for any visitor to the site and I tried to make it as eye pleasingly simple as I could. There is always room for improvement to any website I visit, none more than mine.
DS: How does your general weekday go as a whole when you are working in your own art business here in California and over in London. Are there many differences and difficulties between the two locations?
HM: Not so many differences between working my business in the US and the UK as a whole. Painting in London gives me the added advantage of eight hours ahead of California to sort out problems that may arise on the West Coast. My first problem in the UK was finding and establishing a good relationship with a reputable printing company. The first company I tried out were geographically closer to where I presently reside but took too long to complete any submission. True, their work was of good quality but I was never able to establish a close working relationship with them. I kept looking for that special source and eventually found it without much effort. The moment I arrived at the Panopus Printing Company in Islington, London one wet morning, soaked to the skin and with a portfolio case of artwork, I was warmly welcomed by all the staff there. It was like they had done printing for me for many years before! Such wonderful customer service and appreciation from Lucas, Jenkiss and Dorothy who all work there which has never waned. I have faithfully done business with them ever since and would never think of going anywhere else. These days the best knowledgeable employees do not stay in one place too long if the employer doesn’t appreciate their true work potential, work ethics, capabilities and financial rewards. This can happen all too often with great working relationships with someone ending abruptly I bring this up as I just discovered whilst making this brief trip back here to Marin County that my highly creative and brilliant help David at locally owned Dostal Studios suddenly left for greener pastures in another state – leaving me to find a new valuable source when I return here the next time. He and I had a wonderful business relationship and produced such outstanding work on my Equator Coffee paintings, producing the closest of correct colour hues for future printing purposes. Other than the printing side of the business there are no true problems with finding any art supplies between both countries.
DS: What art supply companies and local shops do you normally use in each country? Do you have favourites and ones that you use constantly? Have you ever had difficulties in finding certain art material items you would normally use in one country than the other?
HM: What I so enjoy about working in Watercolours is the fact that I do not need such an extensive amount of art materials and supplies to keep going. When I worked in Oils and Acrylics I seemed to constantly order and buy more items to use. Having said that I have been a customer for decades with Daniel Smith Art Supplies from Washington State and still have materials from them that are still in good condition to this day so I am not in need of too many items to replace. Generally, Watercolour paper, paints and brushes are all I may replenish from time to time. If I need supplies on the day, I generally visit Rileystreet Art Supplies or Michael’s Arts And Crafts in San Rafael or drive to Berkeley to check out Academy Art Supplies for goodies. There is nothing I cannot find here. In London, I generally visit the remarkable Green And Stone Art Shop in Chelsea which has been around for 90 years and frequented by some of the most famous influential artists living today. Jackson’s Art Supply near Putney Bridge also has a great selection for all artists and lastly, Cass Art provides a generally good selection for every artist’s needs. The only thing that I couldn’t readily find sourced in London funnily enough seemed to be a portable drafting board, an invaluable tool for me in California so I took my own on-board the plane!
DS: What areas within your website would you consider improving or updating for your visitors and followers in the future?
Presently, I use fineartamerica.com as my main vendor for the merchandise section of my website. It is important to have a supplier who is reliable, have a large operational network to ship nationally in the US and offer a good selection and quality of merchandise for your clients. They reproduce my artwork on archival paper, canvas, pillows, cushions, T-shirts, tote bags, blankets and even shower curtains to name just a few items. Their system does work, the quality is good and I have sold many items in the past with them but really only when the orders come within the US. The reason being that orders that originate in Europe, for example, may still be produced and shipped directly from the US and not within Europe, incurring a more lengthy wait time and possible import duty attached upon arrival. Not a nice surprise for your eager buyer to receive! Ultimately, I would like to find better sources within Europe for future distribution. Overall, I am happy with my present supplier and their services. For a sole artist who is already busy at work and business, I don’t have to worry unduly about that side of the operations for now.
DS: Some artists enjoy solitude when working in art while others enjoy music and movement around them when painting? What is your preference? Do you have a certain room and routine when you are painting? Any interesting information to pass on?
HM: As with most artists, I can work in all environments however I prefer to have music surrounding me most of the time. It’s important to remember that painting and music go together – they are both the great bodies of creation within the Art World. I can paint anywhere really but I’ve been known to complete my most demanding artwork sitting on top of a bed….and no (laughing).. interesting information or routine to pass on!!!
DS: (laughing)… Fair enough, I’d say!Can I ask on average, how long does it take you to complete a typically well detailed watercolour painting?
HM: It really can vary from one painting to the next depending upon how complex the detail work I wish to include for that particular painting. I generally look at about a month for a full size painting. Obviously, I do not spend every day on that one painting as I have several others in varying stages of completion. There are days that I do not paint at all. Working on several different paintings help keep the approach to each work piece feel fresh with new ideas. I like to keep the other paintings well out of sight. You have a new perspective to those paintings in progress when you haven’t seen them for several days. Also, I like the change from one painting to the next rather than focusing on just one main commission otherwise you run the chance of getting impatient. There is nothing worse than rushing its completion with less rewarding results for both you, the artist and the prospective buyer. Moreover, those imperfections will generally become blatantly obvious to both parties. The bottom line surely remains, it’s just not worth all the anguish and disappointment after all that hard work you have put into it!
DS: What painting subjects are you currently working on at this time? Have you completed any more paintings for the Equator Coffee Company since our last interview in October? Also, what future paintings are on the horizon that you can you tell your readers you are planning?
HM: Presently I am in the middle of my most personal painting I have ever undertaken – Kensington Church Street, London circa 1968. I loved the cars of that period and I have included the hundred-year-old frontage of Kensington Barracks which was demolished in the nineteen-eighties after becoming a youth hostel and a refuge for asylum seekers. My mother’s apartment was close to the world-famous fashion Boutique BIBA and she has lived there for almost fifty years! The painting will include St. Mary’s Abbott Church where Princess Diana often visited and the famous 1930s’ art deco designed Barker’s Department Store at the foot of the street. With my present role of being a caregiver to my elderly mother, the painting has been slow in its progress but now it is well on its way to completion. Similarly, my paintings for the Equator Coffee Company are also in progress with a Downtown San Francisco skyline rendition for display in their Financial District stores and also one for their newly opened Fort Mason location beside the San Francisco Bay. The previously completed paintings of their Mill Valley locations ( The Surf Shop and The Tiger) now hang in the company’s new Headquarters in San Anselmo. Future paintings on my list include a BOAC Vickers VC 10 airliner on the ramp at London’s Heathrow Airport in the sixties, a London street scene of Hammersmith Broadway in the early sixties and a few sailing ships and pleasure steamers in different scenarios.
DS: I can thoroughly appreciate the fact that time must be very limited for you when you are looking after your elderly mother these days. It sounds like you have a lot of future work ahead. Caring for someone must take a lot of creative energy out of you. Who do you stay so focused on your work?
HM: Caring for any mother can definitely bring other daily challenges in life which always have to be resolved one way or another. As I go about the daily duties needed for her, I still find my inner thoughts can be hovering over areas of my current painting, whether it be on resolving an area I am not happy with in its present form or trying to solve how to paint a tricky area a different way. I have to say that I have been very fortunate in life to have the skill and focus abilities to produce creative ideas whilst doing other tasks and duties in life outside of my painting time. One example I can give involves my painting entitled “Equator Coffee – The Visitor” where I placed an oversized Tiger hovering behind a man in a large coffee cup, disguised as a Hot Tub on the roof of the building. It made the painting. The idea came to me as I was driving my regular Commuter Bus route to San Francisco one morning in stopped traffic! Sometimes I will scribble them down but most times they linger for months in the back of my mind. I may not be painting at the time but when I get to it, I end up with a more interesting piece of artwork. My mind is ever active with ideas…some say overactive for my own good!
DS: I am in agreement with you as to your creative addition of the Tiger and the Hot Tub – it really does make the painting more special and I love it! Speaking of which, have you had time to visit the coffee company’s new Headquarters you mentioned to see your work displayed?
HM: Sadly, not this time. I can only really leave my mother for a week at a time so I head back to London on Thursday afternoon. On my next visit here, I shall hopefully have the other paintings finished for them to display and market. I always enjoy painting for this company, I love the people and, if I may add, absolutely love their coffee. I only wish they had shops in London!
DS: Changing the subject , what advice would you give to someone who is starting out in basic art but at the same time, is trying to make some sense of the different types of artwork that can be displayed in museums or galleries?
HM: Firstly, Art is very subjective, art is very personal and art is very fickle. What one person may deem a piece of artwork brilliance, another may judge it as hopelessly boring and a load of rubbish. It truly is a very personal judgement call that you bestow upon it . My advice for what it’s worth would be – if a piece of artwork doesn’t necessarily excite you in anyway when you first see it, stand in front of it and spend a few extra minutes trying to figure out, if possible, what the artist was trying to convey within his or her art. If that fails your original thoughts were correct.
DS: Finally we have come to the end of our session this time but before we finish I would like to ask you what are your future plans? Are you going to remain in London in due course or return back here to California to live for good?
HM: That’s a good question which I am not all that sure about presently. I think many individuals reach an age when they start reflecting upon their present life and towards the future generations behind them. There are times, I confess, that I feel “irrelevant” in today’s society but I still give full support to the younger generations growing up to replace mine, bringing a new lifestyle and quality to life. I plan to finish the Equator Coffee painting series and finish up my short list of UK paintings in the works before I embark on my new direction in life – writing various books that I have long ago planned. It will undoubtedly be an exciting new chapter in my life. As to living and remaining here in California and or London, that’s on an unknown horizon in my life at this time.
DS: Whatever happens, it has been a great pleasure meeting you again and I personally wish you all success and happiness in your future horizons.
HM: Cheers! Likewise, it’s been wonderful to meet you again. Thank you for your time today and best wishes for your future too!
I thought I would display three early watercolour paintings that were recently found hidden away in London that I completed in early 1985 which illustrates well the faint wash techniques and finish that I applied in that era. As my paintings are so vastly different to that period, I have tentative plans to remaster the Battersea Park, London picture into the more modern day finish that my current paintings are now best known for. It would be interesting to see the marked difference.
The Original Battersea Park and Fun Fair Entrance 1966 with a Chelsea Army Pensioner and Taxicab
City Of Light – 2017 Christmas Watercolour Painting
The beginning of my “City Of Light” painting
It was the beginning of October 2017 when I decided to commence on this painting. It was to be the second Christmas painting to date. The first was my 2014 London Suburbia painting which drew numerous positive responses. With a quick sketch drawing of my initial thoughts on how the Paris painting may look when completed, I set about the start with a nearside building portraying the corner of a Café. I included all the detail of the exterior lights, windows and interior detail within the front rooms of the apartments. The painting is set in the period of 1961 to 1962.
The painting continues….
I started to add the rear three quarter view of the Renault TN6C Paris bus and the Citroen DS taxicab. Further alongside the building towards the background I added the curved roadway with cafes and parked vehicles
the painting continues…
I added LePoste yellow Citroen van, A Renault Hi Chocolat Van, a grey Citroen 2CV and another Paris bus to build the feel of typical Paris traffic. Towards the background I painted the rear of the numerous cars in traffic heading towards the mid point of the painting.
The painting continues…
I start to include a centre island where the Paris Metro entrance is placed and also at the far end, a large winged statue. More detail work is done with the vehicles and the surrounding street.
It’s now time to start on the distant apartment building that faces two streets. I paint an overall orange paint to the bottom of the building which will be completed later. I place another Paris bus facing the cross traffic with a blue Renault 2CV going the other way. I made an overpass with a car tunnel below. Since its 1962, an advert for Jacques Tati’s film ‘Mon Oncle’ is displayed on the side of the bus with the great comedian and director standing outside the Cafe about to take a taxi to the airport.
The other side of the car tunnel I have begun to place a Christmas Fair Lot complete with tents and traders stations. I place stands where Wine, Cheese, Meat and Flowers are sold. There is also the start of a Christmas tree farm. The opposing traffic heading into the underpass has been filled.
More detail is now added with the background within the Fair. The far apartment building is now beginning to take shape. More detail work is added.
Beside the Apartment building, I start painting into the picture a typical yet significant French inspired church which you would find in the City, alongside that a multipurpose commercial building with spaces for billboards to be painted into them. I have placed a Carousel and a big Wheel for the background of the Fair and included a lighted banner wishing the public Happy Holidays in French.
We’re now finally at the finishing stage of the painting. The billboards are filled in with period commercial messages – Air France, Bijou Casino and Citroen Cars respectively. There are more commerce buildings and apartments to fill in the distance space and the exterior floodlights are given some life as are the Christmas message in French for all passing traffic to view. The main apartment building is given further detail and finishing touches including the illumination on the exterior of the structure. Pretty much finished with all the fine details with just the sky to fill in for the last stage. I spent time visualizing the colour to be used for the sky. I opted for purple overall with a feeling of low lying clouds just beyond the structures. Purple worked so well for the previous Christmas painting and it just made the completed painting a much warmer finish. I hope you will agree with the final finished painting below… as you can see the final painting looks quite different to the initial sketch drawing…
City Of Light 2017
As of May 2018, I am delighted and proud to inform visitors that the original watercolour painting is now in private collection within the beautiful French countryside of the Auvergne, France where it truly belongs! Viva La France!
Many people have come up and questioned me directly, as to why I am all too willing to give away my artwork in whatever form, to a member of the younger generation in this world. That is not strictly true – I am quite selective when I do donate my work to younger members of the public. Firstly, I need to know that they will indeed appreciate the artwork in the first place and secondly, that they express a deep interest in the art world as a whole and that they are active artists already.
My thoughts on this are very simple. They become your own custodians for future generations behind them to appreciate the work you’ve done , thereby increasing your chances of your valued artwork, in whatever form, remaining in communities all around the world for many hopeful years to come.
There are not so many artists in this world that truly gain the recognition that they deserve, be it in achievement awards or huge financial advancements. For me, at the end of the day, I would rather like to think that my paintings be enjoyed on walls all around the world, that a whole new generation will put them on their walls wherever they reside and carry on the tradition. The thought that brush marks painstakingly placed on a blank sheet by my hand in my lifetime will eventually be displayed on different walls of the world by someone from a different lifetime – possibly for years, decades or, somewhat dreamily, even centuries later into the future. That’s the true reward in life. Your highest achievement made to society. Making others happy in this short lifetime we all experience. It doesn’t get any better than that! …..Paint On!
