Wigan Album
Isherwood
6 Comments
Photo: David Simm
Item #: 20197
My good friend Jimmy (Lawrence)Isherwood, was undergoing rest and recuperation at Billing Hosp when I visited him, and he told me he was going to return to work pretty soon and he did.
He wanted to stage an exhibition of his work but had no frames, so I loaned him several 20 x 16" gold swept frames. In his excitement to make sales my friend sold his paintings in the frames and was oh so apologetic when he realized what had happened.
He wanted to repay me and told me to take as many paintings as I wanted from his home, by the Bellingham, on Wigan Lane, so I just took the one, that tickled me most. It was a monochromatic grey scene of the Maypole Disaster, but the bit that really amused me was the obvious little splodge of light blue amid all the shades of grey, probably put there just after a glass or two of lunch.
Great picture. Isherwood was a real character, he loved his art, certainly not in it for the money, unlike some modern artists I could mention.
I first met him in 1960, when as the junior photographer in the office I was sent to photograph, "This publicity seeking artist", who none of the senior staff wanted to bother with.
So off I went up Wigan Lane, on the bus, I was sixteen at the time, and met with Jimmy & his mother, Lil.
The object was to photograph him with his painting of Lady Chatterly's Lover and of course, I iddn't want to do what all the mediocre local photographer would do, stand him by the picture with palette and brush in hand.
So, we went over to the infirmary car park where I got him to tuck the painting under his arm and pretend to be sticking it into the back of a van, while surreptitiously glancing over his should to see who's watching.
Mu photo made big time across four columns in the News of The Screws, can you imagine how chuffed I was at 16, not only that, according to Jimmy's brother Gordon I had launched Jimmy's career, bringing him commissions from everywhere, The Scarisbrick in Southport even names a suite after him.
Not big on art, but what a brilliant picture.
What a brilliant story. The experience alone makes a great tale.
Superb painting and a great story!
I used to live near his shoe shop in Greenough Street, I saw him once in the butchers shop bartering for his meat with a painting.