An amusing tale in answer to a point raised by my friend Gerri Gill, via Facebook, Gerri won’t mind my sharing this with you.
Of yesterdays post Gerri generously wrote “Absolutely gorgeous. I love them both and especially the top colours [Mauretania, Maiden Departure from Liverpool, available as a signed print] . One is calm and serene. The other makes you sit up to attention and look …..”
Then the key part, she wrote “I am right in thinking that your path to excellence started with Francis? He must feel very proud“.
My reply was along these lines…
The path didn’t start with Francis Pratt although he was a major influence.
Probably my first ‘recorded’ efforts to paint were when I was about 4 or 5 years old.
With my friend Patrick Crawley we opened some tins of paint in my parents garage then ‘abstract painted’ the walls.
Very firmly told never do that again, I next painted Patrick.
Poor wee lad, he had to have his cloths burnt and head shaved so I must have done a pretty job.
I don’t actually remember doing it but my Mother sometimes told the story and I do remember seeing the garage walls, thinking it was very jolly and wondering how it came to be so.
Before the first time I went to The Painting School of Montmiral I’d had 5 years at Art College, general studies, specialising in ‘Art’ photography, worked as a photographer etc then in the Marine Industry.
I’d been painting for about 8 years before I read Francis ‘blurb’.
I knew I’d a problem with colour so thought ‘what the heck, it might be bullsh1t, it might help, what have I to loose, worst case, 2 weeks in the South of France?’
It helped. It’s helped a LOT of people over some 30 + years.
I returned over the years, to study another half dozen or so times and eventually lived in the village for some (happy) years.
Francis and I remain friends and sometimes have a fireside chat when I’m in CdM which is now almost a second home to me.