Progressing through art school in the early ’70s I was a bit of an oddity, I wanted to learn to draw well and paint what I saw. I was lucky to have encountered inspirational teaching early on and in their very different ways Ken Howard RA and the amazing Ian Dury (of Blockheads fame) both had a hand in shaping the painter I was to become.
Ken, now a distinguished and much-loved Royal Academician and a lifelong friend, had just started teaching at Harrow School of Art when I enrolled on the Foundation Course; encountering this wonderfully gifted painter at a time when I was so hungry to learn was perfect timing. Ian Dury taught part-time at Canterbury and, alongside a history of rock ’n’ roll, taught us to really care about the paintings and drawings we made. He’d come up the hard way and passed on some of his grit to those of us who were lucky enough to be his students. Plein air painting was deeply unfashionable but quickly became the thing I wanted to do. I understood early on that a painting, while it can never fully duplicate nature, was to become a route into connecting and understanding what I saw.
This story is from the September 2020 edition of Dorset Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the September 2020 edition of Dorset Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Fighting Fit At Fifty
As the country braces for a lockdown winter, seize the moment to become the fittest you can be – after all age is just a number
Last Night I Dreamt I Went To Mapperton Again...
Helen Stiles goes behind the scenes at the filming of Rebecca where two historic Dorset manor houses play a starring role as Manderley in this romantic thriller
Painting the Seasons
Nicholas Hely Hutchinson reveals how the changing moods of the Dorset coast and countryside inspire his paintings
THE HEAT IS ON
Weymouth 51 are blazing a trail through the chilli world with their handcrafted fermented sauces that offer layers of complex flavours from mild and fruity to super-hot tongue tinglers
Meeting MR FIX IT
Sir Oliver Letwin stepped down as the MP for West Dorset in 2019, but his passion for the county he served for 22 years is as strong as ever
Wildlife Wanderings
David Bailey shares some of his favourite Dorset images and stories taken from his new book
SOWING THE SEEDS
The average age of a British farmer is 60, which is why the Melplash Agricultural Society is investing in the next generation of Dorset farmers
HAUNTED DORSET
From spectral Roman armies and duelling ghosts to a beneficent black dog, Jerry Bird explores some of the spookier goings on around the county
Decorative art
Not simply functional, treat your walls like an extension of your personality
Age-old advice
Just become a grandparent for the first time? Perhaps you need a little guidance, so here are some top tips about how to embrace your new family role