I have always loved any form of painting when I was growing up. From an early age, fueled by my father’s wonderful drawings of the sea and ships, I have enjoyed my own adventures with brush and paintbox. My mother seemed to have kept everything related to my early life, it seems, possibly in the hope that someone would open a museum in my name! But seriously, I can thank her for hiding these two attempts of my earliest watercolour artwork which must have been completed when I was around six years old. The first attempt at watercolouring came with much inspiration after seeing the 1955 British film “The Dam Busters” starring the great Richard Todd as Guy Gibson and Michael Redgrave as Dr. Barnes Wallis. The infamous, daring and well documented raid in May 1943 made by Avro Lancaster bombers of 617 Squadron threw the excitement from this young boy into an surge of forceful creative energy and determined brushstrokes. Looking at the undated work some 58 years later brings back happy memories of working upon what appears to be brown packaging paper at the kitchen table. Although the aircraft looks more like a later Avro Lincoln aircraft, the then time secrecy of its payload was very much like the films depiction of an oversized lump under the fuselage. No other celluloid presentation would have so much impact on my life like the original Dam Busters film – it truly inspired me to endorse thoughts within me that nothing you really want to achieve in life is impossible but it can come with occasional setbacks. To this day, the Avro Lancaster is my all time favourite aircraft – just the sound of its four Merlin engines bringing a true orchestra of sound to the skies fills me with delight.
As a child, there were several times in my life that I was taken to the Bertram Mills Circus and Fun Fair inside the Grand Hall at Olympia, London. It was an annual event at Christmastime. Long before circus life became questioned and criticized for the handling and welfare of its animals, this particular circus was indeed very special to me. It featured several well known clowns in its cast, but namely the world famous Russian Coco the Clown (real name Nicolai Poliakoff) and a famous white tall hatted English clown called Percy Huxter were unforgettable right up until their last Christmas show in 1967. After each show I attended there, I was treated to time at the Fun Fair. You could make out some of the towering funfair rides located on the north side through the surrounding curtain of red and green circus tenting while the circus was performing. It was a wonderful time for a small child to witness. I will never forget the shows! So thrilled to be taken to these events that I completed the above one after my first visit in 1961.
I am so thankful my mother felt that these two examples were worthy enough to be kept as my first initial watercolouring attempts. We all have to start somewhere….