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1970's - 1990's
illustrations
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Background:
.A mining village on Wat's Dyke, (Mealor ,N .Wales) from 2 generations of
mining officials. My grandfather was a former Royal Welch veteran of the Boer War
and Gallipoli and captain of the rescue team at Gresford's
1934 mining disaster
.He survived to write
the folk ballad which followed. A hard act to follow.
,At
Wrexham Art School, (now "promoted" to the new Owen
Glyndwr university ) my drawing teacher was the best draughtsman
I have yet seen... Earnest Mitchell .I found it hard to adjust-
after leaving this fondly remembered socially close environment . I had
to move to Liverpool college of art to obtain a Dip. AD.
Although an exciting and
innovating time ( Beatles and cavern etc ),I left the
course after a year .People connected to the college at the time: Mike Mcartney
(brother of Paul) , painter / poet Adrian Hendry and poet Roger McGough.
London during the
optimistic mid 60's ,like other art students I found a
lively experience . I had found myself in the right places
however after that memorable decade came the reality check..
.After Goldsmith's College I taught art part
time at London Comprehensives for the next 5 years
while pursuing other unfulfilled interests. . For a person of my ilk
,surprisingly I ended up eventually with a 2.1 hons.
BA in history of art but never did complete an MA in
painting. |
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In
the mid 70's I was introduced by Jim Burns (the Science fiction
illustrator and former drinking companion) to the Young Artist's Agency
. As a novice , I began to produce realistic figurative work for
paperback covers and took on any work that came along-. others in the
agency at the time : Richard clifton-Dey, Chris Foss , Gordon Crabbe ,Chris
Collingwood etc. I had a healthy disregard for
competing for work in commercial agencies ,the type of work and the
"art business" generally. I returned to this agency on 3
separate occasions thanks to Alison Eldred.: later spent a year at the
other then top agency Artist Partners and worked my way through 8
others. ,I have independently worked outside the
system and An unwillingness to sell myself had been
detrimental to any prestigious marketing success I may have had.
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In the pre-digital 80's and 90's I worked for the main UK
Publishers and produced most types of genre except science
fiction and fantasy art -now inundated with those digital
pneumatic tits. Although things military are of interest,
I have questioned an involvement in past macho action
covers -naively romanticizing war etc. |
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The publisher
Mondadori (Milan/Verona)
gave me a cover series of young adult novels after seeing an Oxford
Univ.
Press children's cover . I was given a free hand throughout the
90's and had illustration exhibitions in Italy
-possibly my
most useful and productive period .Italy and southern France
became favourite places. In the past for my sins through agents
I have produced advertising work for government agencies;
corporate companies; banks ; hotel chains; computer
manufacturers ; packaging for games
; British Lion posters; and even a plate to promote Manchester United.
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A creative
desire has recently made me return to my childhood
haunts in the quiet borderland backwater of the Alyn
Valley , revealing it's forgotten rich
contested history . |
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