Plate 2: landscape in pencil
Plate 3: The Lake District
It all started around 1936, I was about 5 years old when the sound of classical music had an effect on my imagination.
Being the youngest of three brothers I looked up to both of them, particularly my eldest (by twelve years).
Everything he did I tried to copy. He was very clever artisticly, having had an art school education.
It was his collection of classical records that was the main source of music in the home. I remember the titles well, although I did not understand their meaning at that age, i.e. "The Damnation of Faust", "The Merry Wives of Windsor", "The Blue Danube", and several brass band records.
I did not understand sheet music either but the dots fascinated me together with the phrasing lines and dynamics.
My father, who was a deacon at the local congregational church, brought home religious and Victorian song sheets which I tried to copy and do my own versions of.
Sometimes he would take the result back to church and get the organist to have a go at playing them. I can't imagine what it must have sounded like as they were meaningless doodles which were drawn only for appearance sake. He must have had the idea that I was showing the first signs of becoming an infant prodigy, but alas it was not to be.
Only having a limited library of records, they tended to get rather overplayed, although this did not seem to bother me. In fact the repetition of the pieces may have contributed to me forming ideas about them.
I did become very familiar with the different tones and dynamics of the music and after a time they seem to take on different shapes and colours. But they were fleeting and gone as soon as I had heard them. And it was at that very early age I imagined trying to paint or capture them somehow, but had no idea what to do about it, which was very frustrating.
My father, who realised that I was artistically inclined supplied me with plenty of paper which he obtained from his job as compositor with the Amalgamated Press in London. This paper was what they used for pulling proofs from the monotype and linotype machines, now long obsolete.
I still have quite a few of the drawings and paintings from my early years. It seems strange to look at them now and I remember the problems I had with them then, which would prove no problem now.
Progressing to when I was twelve years old I had ideas of becomimg a professional artist, but was quite disapointed when my parents pointed out that there was not much money to be earned that way. They suggested I turned my sights on becoming a commercial artist instead.
Although now resigned to the fact that my role in art was going to be of a commercial nature and not purely of painting pretty pictures the idea of transferring sound into art in some way remained in the depths of my mind. And I believe now that this continually turning over the concept for many years helped to develop in my sub-conscious as to the form and shape it would take.
But this was based solely on music which technically had been tried before without much success and was termed 'orphism' after the God of Music, and it was not until years later that I realised all sound could be treated in the same way. Had this been so I should have tackled painting everyday sounds first rather than music as it is not so difficult.
My father was a keen gardener and during the war everybody was into gardening, all towns and villages had their allotments or pieces of ground to grow vegetables.
While travelling to London a friend of my father who lived in the next village said to him that the local allotment association was having their annual competition and there was a section for art.
Plate 2: landscape in pencil
Plate 3: The Lake District
He knew of my keeness in art and suggested that my father should bring some of my work along and he would enter it in the competition for him.
I was about thirteen years old then and had a few reasonable pieces. So I submitted two landscapes, one in pencil and one in watercolour (Plates 2 & 3) Much to my dismay and my fathers annoyance they were rejected. The reason being that they did not believe it to be the work of a thirteen year old. So several friends of my father vouched for me and the pieces were eventually accepted. Much to my great pleasure they both won first prizes and seven shillings and sixpence each, about 75p which was quite a sum in those days to one of my age.
My father thought it time for me to seek employment and approached a top London studio, which promptly turned me down.
He then spoke to the director of his company Sir Sidney Waterlow who arranged for me to have an interview with the manager of the 'Bank Note Department1 of his family's company Messrs. Waterlow & Sons Ltd., Bank Note Engravers and Printers.
I had no idea what we were going there for and had resigned myself to any odd job for the time being. Came the day and I turned up at this huge factory with what I thought was a very good selection of work.
The Manager and foreman were there and together they flicked through my drawings and watercolours. All the items I thought they would stop to look at went by the side, and then they stopped and picked out what I thought was an insignificant piece of lettering and said "We will make you an engraver!" I thought, "Great; what's an engraver?", and so I was launched into the world of print.
My first year was spent in the bank note artist department and spent endless hours practising at drawing lettering.
One day each week was spent at day school doing exactly the same thing. The first school was at in 'Bold Court' Fleet Street. Later on we were sent to the Central School of Arts and Crafts, Southampton Row. It seem that the main advantage was to leave one hour earlier for home.
Although the year in the art department was rather dull it gave me a lot of experience in technique as the men in this section were the top of their field of work.
After one year I transferred to the Engraving department and started my apprenticeship as a copperplate engraver.
My interest in music was still just as keen, but as far as making music it just extended to playing the harmonica, which I could play reasonably well.
On a summer holiday at Herne Bay, Kent, I won a talent competition (Ten shillings this time) at the bandstand and then went on to play in the pier summer show.
By now I had ideas of becoming another Larry Adler, and even had a mention in the Amalgamated Press company magazine 'The record.'
With fame in mind as a harmonica player I decided to take lessons in music and theory as up to now it was just by ear.
The music teacher was a dear old lady of seventy who was crosseyed. After two lessons she talked me out of the harmonica and on to the violin.
My stepgrandfather played the violin, he was 5 feet tall, weighed 16 stones and wore a bowler hat, he looked like John Bull.
As I had no violin he gave me one which was all in pieces, so it had to be repaired by an expert. After seeing the workshop of the man who repaired it, I decided to make one myself.
By now I had forgotton Larry Adler and had decided to be another Paganini.
Plate 4: My Violin
Quite a lot of the men who worked with me were interested in Classical music and I received useful hints with the music and on making the violin, which took 9 months to complete. A photo of the instrument when finished appeared in the company's magazine 'W and S'. (Plate 4)
Despite the fact that at this period I was not engaged in any painting or drawing, from the true art point of view the experience in accuracy and craftmanship coupled with music was enormous.
We started a small band amongst the apprentices comprising of accordian, violin, clarinet, saxaphone, guitar and drums which received quite an amount of encouragement from the managment, and despite all this activity of music, engraving, cycling and girls I still had this overwhelming desire to paint music; it kept popping up when certain pieces of music attracted my attention and I used to think I will paint that one day.
The apprentices in this company were treated very well, trips to other factories that belonged to the company were arranged so as to give a broad education in printing. On one occasion I was sent on a five day stay at Keeble College, Oxford, to attend an apprentices conference. There were lectures and outings to different companies. It was on one occasion at a lecture I met Sir Gerald Kelly then President of the Royal Acadamy.
Soon after this stay at Oxford the apprentices were sent to visit the Leonardo Da Vinci exhibition at the Royal Acadamy in London, where I met Sir Gerald Kelly again.
At twenty one my days as an apprentice came to a close, and I was promtly called up for National Service.
During my first twelve weeks training at Aldershot I still managed to keep my hand in practising the viloin in the deserted cavalry barracks, much to the consternation of a guard one night who thought the place to be haunted.
I was then sent to 'The All Arms Training Centre' Sennelager, Germany, and was given a job as a draughtsman where I completed my eighteen months.
This wasn't wasted time as I joined a civilian symphony orchestra and obtained the services of a German violin teacher. He couldn't speak English and I couldn't speak German, but with the aid of a dictionary of music we got on very well
After National Service I returned to Waterlow and Sons Ltd but soon became restless and moved to another engraving and printing firm. I didn't stay long in this one either and in 1956 moved once more to another in the same line of work
To me this was significant as one of the other engravers was an artist in oils and soon I had started as well.
My first attempt was of my own house painted on a piece of deckchair canvas. It was rather crude and I have no idea where that ended up.
The next attempt in 1958 was on hardboard and was quite presentable, it was copied from a print of the painting 'Shoeing the Bay Mare' by Landseer. I still have this painting.
There were two more before I made my first attempt in 1962 at painting music.
I had turned over the idea in my mind for 26 years before coming to any basic conclusion of how it should be done, and this was it, to me a great occassion. And this is the account I wrote in my note book at the time.
"'Fra Diavalo' the overture by Auber, a music impression, on hardboard 18"x24" dated 1962 (Plate 8). The post like effect being the crescendo and diminuendo of the drum beat, the colourful centre figure and flourish is the main fanfare, and the black oval represents the silence in the middle of the overture."
There was a long pause of 12 years before the next painting which came in 1974.
In the meantime I went back to music and formed quite a successful dance band, playing trumpet and guitar. This was all to end suddenly when my collegue in the band died. I couldn't run things on my own so I decided to call it a day.
I sold my instruments and equipment, and with the money bought a complete outfit of oil paints, easel, brushes etc., and decided to take evening classes at a local school.
With all my past experience and training I was well away, and what my first painting at the class lacked in knowledge of painting it made up in accuracy. The entry in my note book reads:-
"Double century. Still life, wine bottle, pot and Chinese soup spoon. On board 9 3/4" x 13" dated May 1974. The first painting after the long break, and under tuition. Didn't know how accurate to make the lettering, the cap on the bottle not quite right."
The tuition I received from the lady teacher was very good, this helped my technique tremendously. Apart from evening class work I worked at home and produced the next painting of music, "Nocturne" in Db by Chopin (Plate 9).
I tried to get clever and technical this time by analysing every part of the piece and trying to work everything in, instead of just letting the effect of music carry the basic shapes. And it reads in my notebook as follows:-
"Nocturne in Db, Opus 27 No.2 by Chopin on canvas 20" x 24" dated June 1974. My second musical impression.
The wave like effect represents the accompanyment, the white groups the main theme and the other parts various runs and enbelishments. The painting is how I imagined it on hearing the nusic, although the ribbon like part at the top centre did not represent what I really meant, this part is at the end of the nocturne and is of the dying away of melody in thirds.'
Plate 6: Crouch Valley
"I completed six more conventional paintings, and then inspired by John Contables work carred out my largest adventure into painting.
This is a landscape of the Crouch Valley as viewed from Ashingdon Churchyard. Taking 3 months to complete it measured 33 1/2" x 50 1/2" (Plate 6).
This was followed by four more conventional paintings, and then a portrait, my first commission. It was from photographs of my cousins late wife. It turned out quite a nice picture and bought me a lot of work later.
Two more ordinary pictures followed and then a breakthough. My cousins step-daughter whose mother I had painted was Soraya Khashoggi, then wife of Adnan Khashoggi, the multi-millionaire arms dealer.
Soraya asked me to paint a portrait of Dr.Mohammed Khashoggi, Adnan's father and Arabia's first native physician and cousin of King Feisel of Arabia. This painting was to be a present to her husband Adnan.
This was also from photographs and created lots of problems. He was 77 years old with grey hair and a lined face.
And then when I had proceeded at least two thirds of the way with the portrait it was arranged for me to meet Dr Khashoggi in person, and much to my suprise and dismay he had dyed his hair brown. He then insisted I coloured the hair in the painting and remove the lines from his face.
By the time I had finished the painting he looked 20 years younger.
Plate 5: Dr.Khasshogi
After this portrait it was followed by a larger one 24" x 36" commissioned by Dr.Khasshogi of himself in Arab dress, (Plate 5) and with all the same problems about his age and appearance.
The money which these commissions brought in was very useful for providing me with endless canvasses, frames and oils I could not normally afford.
Another nine paintings including commissions and one on "The Introduction and Rhondo Cappricioso" by Saint Seans (Plate 10) followed before I settled down to turning out paintings based on music. Then there were ten on music including the whole of Tchaikovsky's "Nutcraker suite".
After which came my next breakthrough, I decided to try my hand at painting everyday sounds.
I quote from my notebook again:-
"The alarm clock" 20" x 24" dated November 1976 (Plate 22) This painting is the first one based on sound other than music, and this is where my term for this type of work takes over. 'Sonusism' is the visual description of sound (later to be shortened to 'Sonism'). It will include ophism which is the term used to describe painting music.
The painting is of the variation of ticks, clicks and spring noises which play on the mind when semi-conscious, the main feature being the alarm sounding. The background represents the change from night to day."
There followed a lot of painting after this of sound, music and conventional.
Plate 7: Self Portrait
Then in February 1978 I completed a self-portrait with a difference (Plate 7). Having already painted a self-portrait I found it rather annoying having to explain to people that if they held it in front of a mirror it would be round the right way.
So with this one I fixed up two mirrors at an angle to each other and produced a self-portrait round the right way, from the second mirror image. The only drawback it gives a rather strained look trying to get the eyes to look natural. One tends to move in the wrong direction and loose the image from the second mirror. However it was quite a success.
I had my first one-man exhibition in 1978 at the Beecroft Art Gallery, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, by courtesy of Southend corporation, showing about 50 pictures of sonism and conventional works.
It was about this time that I decided to shorten the word sonusism to sonism as it was easier on the tongue, this was after a suggestion by my niece who was studying languages at Cambridge said it would be a more correct form.
I ceased painting at the end of 1978 to move house, which consisted of completely rebuilding an old cottage, and did not start again until 1990.
The first painting after this long break was the 5th symphony by Beethoven (Plate 36), which had been one of my ambitions to paint.
I am often asked why I paint in this unusual style. The reason is that it is an adventure. There is no yardstick to go by, no work by any other artist to influence my thoughts.
On thinking back, I even broke up the violin I made as it did not measure up to professional models, much to the horror of my family. And some of my paintings have suffered the same fate
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