Here is but another universe of creativity of which I've been oblivious all these years. While researching Colourman recently into the origins of the first 'tinny' oil tubes for my book project, I erroneously came across this small paint company in London until only just a few weeks because after forty years of producing colours, it closed shop. They fabricated ready-made cans of colour for decorators of all kinds. Just from looking at the instagram account which is still up, these colours look sumptuously scrumptious for any hungry painter. What a shame it no longer exists.
But as I said, I was led down a path into a world of which I had never ventured; wall murals and hand-painted wall paper. And I know why I didn't know of it. It's because I've seen so much mural-painting both inside and outdoors, that didn't appeal to me over the years, that it kind of turned me off the whole thing. I really hate bad painting no matter where, or by whom.
But what I didn't know was that there was a whole world of wonderful artists (mostly women, it seems) who painted really fabulously original work and much of it fanciful in that truly British tradition of eccentric beauty that many of us artists (world-wide) adore.
For instance, except for pockets of the very absurd within France, the French generally just don't possess an eccentric gene. Neither do the Americans, and ditto for the Germans, nor the Scandinavians (I think). But yes, I think the Japanese definitely do in a wildly clever infantile way.
FYI, the tin tube of oil paints that set off my side trip into this world, was invented by an American portrait painter, John Goffe Rand back in 1841 in London where he had installed himself looking for work. He came up with the idea, copyrighted it, then made a small fortune which he then lost investing in a novel new idea for an 'Aeolian' piano (don't ask me what it was supposed to be). But having lost everything, he returned to America and continued his portrait-painting business with no regrets. Personally, I love that about Americans, those adventurous ones of yesteryear who dared to take risks and when it didn't work out they just keep plugging away at life with little resentment so unlike the current guy in the White House, hmmm...
But anyway, Winsor Newton bought the copyright and the rest, as they say, was history. FYI, before 1841, painters who went out into Nature to work (like Turner), used pig bladders which were stitched together. Yuck.
But my real point was to showcase this wonderful world of wall painting hitherto unbeknownst to me. I love these things, really great stuff, and typical British. I confess that I plucked many of these images from the internet and they don't have the proper acknowledgement. But, anyway, here are some of my favourite things.
Melissa White
I've been to Charleston (West Sussex) several times over the years. It's the cottage where the Bloomsbury crowd crowed together to make hay and a bit of scandal back in the day. Duncan Grant, Vanessa Bell, et all, etc.. etc... Every surface of the house was painted, happily but happily they had pretty good taste.
And finally, If you have ever wondered if Grandma Moses was ever a real person or not, she was! Read about it below.
