Sunday 30 April 2017

Warehouse Destroyed by Fire

'Warehouse Destroyed by Fire' was painted in 1948 and was a scene I saw in a nearby street. It was gutted by incendiary bombs and left for some years after the war ended. My painting was developed from memory and the experience of witnessing similar devastation on returning to London from my evacuation to Devon.

Detail from 'Warehouse Destroyed by Fire' 1948, oil on canvas, size 40" x 50", £950.   

So much rebuilding needed to be done, hopeless sites too difficult to repair were left in abeyance while more important reconstruction took precedence throughout the late 1940's. The above image is a detail from the much larger canvas and shows the dramatic composition of the girders, like charred bones reaching upwards. these contrast further with the diminutive scale of the scurrying figures below - to see these and the painting in full please visit my forthcoming exhibition at West Greenwich Library, details are below;  

Scenes from Post-War London. The Early Paintings of Terry Scales.

9th May - 10th June.

West Greenwich Library, 146 Greenwich High Road, SE10 8NN.

Opening times;
Monday: 2pm to 7pm
Tuesday: 9am to 5.30pm
Wednesday: Closed
Thursday: 9am to 7pm
Friday: 2pm to 5.30pm
Saturday: 9am to 5pm
Sunday: Closed

Date of artist talk; 9th June 3 - 4 pm, free.

Wednesday 26 April 2017

Marie Hanging Washing

Marie hanging washing was painted in 1959 and will be exhibited in the forthcoming exhibition 'Scenes of Post-War London - the early paintings of Terry Scales'. The section below is a detail from the larger canvas and shows a scene I witnessed day after day. In the late 1950's Marie was my neighbour in our South Bermondsey village of Prefabs. So strict was the timing of her washing ritual I could set my wristwatch by it.

Detail from Marie hanging Washing, oil on canvas size 40" x 50". £950.

This large oil on canvas was made in 1959, a year before the Prefabs were demolished. For 15 years they had served our community most successfully, fitted as they were with built in refridgerators and cupboards, well ahead of their time and much loved by us occupants.The generous garden spaces encouraged a passion with many to plant shrubs and even fruit trees, so it was a sad occasion when in 1960 they were demolished and the happily established community rehoused in various flats. 

This is one of 3 large paintings to be exhibited, further previews to follow...

Scenes from Post-War London. The Early Paintings of Terry Scales.
9th May - 10th June.
West Greenwich Library, 146 Greenwich High Road, SE10 8NN.
Opening times;
Monday: 2pm to 7pm
Tuesday: 9am to 5.30pm
Wednesday: Closed
Thursday: 9am to 7pm
Friday: 2pm to 5.30pm
Saturday: 9am to 5pm
Sunday: Closed
Date of artist talk; 9th June 3 - 4 pm, free.

Thursday 20 April 2017

Self Portrait as Postman

Going through some early work I found this painting, painted in 1950. During my summer holidays while at Camberwell I got regular work as postman. The work was well paid and I was proud of it, though the uniform is sadly artistic licence, nothing so grand for me! Materials were costly so I frequently painted on the backs of paintings. Two for the price of one!

Self Portrait as Postman, oil on panel, size 530mm x 375mm - £450.

Nude in the Antique Room (reverse of the above painting).

In the spring of 1946......

together with my mother, for I was only 13, I waited to be interviewed by the Principal, William Johnston, distinguished head of Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts. He was not the academic looking type we had expected for he closely resembled James Cagney, an impression further heightened by his New York accent. I discovered later he had spent some years in the U.S.A. rubbing shoulders with the cultural icons of that period. Flipping through my folder he seemed quite satisfied and offered me a place in the Junior Art Department.

Girl with an Ivy Headband £120.

The school itself was a fine building of red brick and Portland stone. It's exterior design owed much to the influence of Ruskin who lived nearby and was was partly responsible for it's presence.

The term 'Juniors' has caused much puzzlement in recent years. It was in fact a brilliant scheme begun in the 1940's to allow those pupils not academically gifted to develop skills in crafts such as pottery, silversmithing, bookbinding and commercial art. Having experienced an assortment of these classes, pupils at the age of 16 would then choose to specialize in the one which best suited their ability and temperament. This highly successful programe lasted until the mid 50's and produced many famous artists and designers, one ex-student conceived the image of the Dalek in BBC's Dr Who!

My weekly programe as a Junior was both varied and stimulating. It consisted of drawing one day a week from costume models (only after becoming 16 were pupils allowed to draw from nude models), one day of sculpture modelling in clay and casting in plaster. In this department Mrs Burns was the excellent teacher. One morning was spent under the tutor Gordon Scott (who lived to be 100, dying in 2017). He taught architecture styles most brilliantly, drawing Roman temples and Gothic cathedrals on a blackboard which we then had to copy. Midweek there was a break from studies with a physical training period held in an old scout house in the street opposite. Drawing from antique castles also occupied one morning, but for me the favourite class was illustration, firstly under John Minton, then Keith Vaughan and then for a longer and personally very influential period under the young teacher Susan Einzig. An older man called Mr Norbert taught anatomy and demonstrated the muscle positions by drawing on a model in red crayon. Two evening classes repeated more costume drawing and the other a most valuable session on period costume from Greek to Victorian styles.

Nude Study £95.

The courses were well designed to give a sound grounding in many related subjects, making available the skills necessary to enter commercial studios and other cultural related employment. The key emphasis throughout was to instill a skill in drawing and observation so necessary in all visual fields.

Seated Nude £95.

This is the background to my forthcoming exhibition (opening in May)....details below.....



Sunday 2 April 2017

Scenes from Post-War London 1946 - 1960 exhibition

Getting ready for this exhibition where I will have 3 large paintings...details to follow... and a collection of prints of early works for sale.


Tea Time at Carrons Wharf, 1948. Poster colour, crayon and Indian ink. A docker pauses for a mug of tea while children play hoop-la in the middle distance. The pointed shape above his cap probably refers to the steeple of St Marys Church Rotherhithe. Life in London appeared very grim to me, a culture shock after the freedom and tranquility of Devon where I was evacuated to as a child. In 1946 I started as a Junior at Camberwell School of Art and then things started to look up. This painting is sold but prints are available at the exhibition or contact me directly on terryscales.artist@outlook.com.



Scenes from Post-War London. The Early Paintings of Terry Scales.
9th May - 10th June.
West Greenwich Library, 146 Greenwich High Road, SE10 8NN.
Opening times;
Monday: 2pm to 7pm
Tuesday: 9am to 5.30pm
Wednesday: Closed
Thursday: 9am to 7pm
Friday: 2pm to 5.30pm
Saturday: 9am to 5pm
Sunday: Closed
Date of artist talk; 9th June 3 - 4 pm, free.

Gone Fishing

Just sold this small pen, ink and water colour painted in 1959.


The painting was an imagined scene inspired by listening to dockers talking about fishing, I liked the idea of the contrast between that peaceful activity and hustle and bustle in which we worked.