It’s all in the past!

The present and the future depends upon what has gone before. On the face of it the past does not show itself other than

in the work and action within the day.

Ephemeral days. The past stamps itself on all our work through the experience that we have gained or the knowledge that we have learned.

Everything in two dimension.

1951 -1958

The potential talents I had as a 13 year old were seen and appreciated by my art teacher Charles Parsons.  I owe that man my life as an artist. He took me with him on his sketching expeditions, he taught me, encouraged me and helped obtain a place for me at an art college.

You see here just a few examples of my work during the 1950′s. Unfortunately much of my work has been either destroyed, kept, then destroyed by the College or just thrown away when I left home in 1958.  At the college I was taught, perspective, life and object drawing, design, typography, methods of reproduction and lithographic printing.  Now just recollections of the past where those activities are far removed from the present.

In some ways we were working within a technology that had existed for over 500 years. There was more craft within the compass of achievements. We used brushes and paints, the process was so much slower, laboured.

Over that period of seven years, the first two were as a full time student in Clifton, Bristol, the the rest as a part time student, two afternoon sessions and at least eight early and late evening sessions per week while working as an apprentice in a commercial studio situated in the Bedminster district of Bristol.

It was all a good start to my career. It was during the time in question that the term commercial artist was dropped for the more prestigious title Graphic Designer. I had drawn and painted from my childhood, by 1958 I had learnt how to make a living by my art.