Blowing in the Wind

(36" x 30") Original, Acrylic on Canvas
Contact Washington Green for Enquiries

This grayscale painting is inspired by the 1961 film ‘Whistle Down The Wind’.

The plot of the film follows the lives of three Lancashire farm children who discover a fugitive hiding in their barn. The bearded man is mistaken for Jesus by the siblings, and he makes no attempt to correct the mistake once he realises that the eldest child is determined to protect him from the adults and police.

The film contrasts the children's innocent faith with the pragmatic and suspicious adults in the town. Word spreads amongst the children in the town, and remembering the story of Jesus’ persecution, all focus is on the barn and keeping it’s hiding occupant safe from discovery.

One of the children eventually gives the game away to her father by mistake after asking for some cake to give to Jesus. Ever the sceptic, particularly after ‘Jesus’ let him down, the youngest of the siblings, Charles, proudly denotes “It’s not Jesus, it’s just some fella”.

The fugitive is apprehended in a symbolic final scene.

My aim was to catch the essence of this film within the painting without focusing on the spiritual side of the story. For me, what makes the film endearing is how it portrays the commoraderie of the children and the innocence and optimism they hold within themselves.

Hi Scores

(36" x 30") Available at Chelmer Fine Art

You may have noticed the toys and games of the past have been long forgotten. They have mostly been replaced by home computers, games consoles and the internet. Using and even combining these machines gives kids a whole new world of gaming activity and social interaction, which has seen the good old fashioned toys get cast aside.

Despite computer games not having a particularly great reputation, they can in fact be very good for the child’s development with the use of strategy, reasoning, logic and memory. Pretty much any game out there will need the use of these skills, and they will be honed with kids feeling that they are having fun while achieving.

Kids are learning all manor of skills apt for a technological age….certainly more useful than a space hopper would ever be, that’s for sure! That said, with a computer game you can’t play 'Scramble' in the playground and fight for the football stickers that nobody else wants, or have endless battles on the bedroom floor with plastic army men!

Round Our Way

(36" x 30") Original, Acrylic on canvas

A half decent playing area, jumpers for goalposts….or perhaps a conveniently placed sign, and anything up to 25-a-side were all the essentials you needed for a good kick-a-bout with your pals and anyone else keen to join in.

Undoubtedly there would always be a couple of kids who would constantly have the ball due to their far superior skill level, while the rest of us would have to chase a few shadows, yet there was still a sense of camaraderie, each and every ’player’ getting stuck in for the cause, some more than most obviously!

As darkness approached, the numbers would slowly whittle down as tea time beckoned, leaving perhaps only a few of the hardcore, determined players eager to find a winner, which usually meant a unanimous decision of “The next goal wins!”

Do You Wanna Be A Spaceman

(90cm x 70cm) Contact Washington Green for enquiries

What do you hear kids say they want to be when they grow up? The answers are always interesting to hear....and somewhat quite unachievable you might think. A Cowboy, a Spaceman, a Power Ranger or Superhero of some kind!

Clearly though, a handful of these dreams are fulfilled, as there are these Astronauts, Racing Drivers and Cowboys out there.

This is to those 6 year olds that will one day live their childhood dream day in day out. Though I’m not suggesting there is a real life Batman!!

How High

Here is the bigger picture to see what that little guy was up to on a previous post......

(36" x 30") Contact Washington Green for enquiries

The appeal of climbing a great big tree has always had its draw on kids. Grabbing hold of some nice sturdy branches to heave yourself up to the next level, clambering your way through the increasing density of leaves until you get to the point when you realise you really are as far up as you want, or certainly need to be!

I always preferred a simple climbing frame personally. You always knew where you stood with a climbing frame, all the bars level and parallel with one another making it far more straight forward for getting up and down.

Was it just me though, or was it always slightly awkward when reaching the ‘summit’? Having to somehow turn yourself around to come back down the other side! It was all about the hand and foot coordination and I do seem to remember feeling a mild sense of vertigo during this point!

….I think I’ll just go back down the same way I came up!

Slow This Bird Down ii

This is a new version of a previous painting of the same name and story, but seen from a different angle. I think this birds eye view works well becuase in a way, it can be seen as you're the adult looking down on the kids and just helps to emphasise the message a little bit more....

(36" x 30") Available through Washington Green

Our children seem to be growing up quicker all the time. Just think back to what you were doing and what you had at different stages of your childhood. I imagine it differs greatly.

Kids seem to get to a point where they just want to be older. Yet it will happen all too quickly and before they know it they will be forever chasing their youth.

I don’t want my kids to turn around in 30 years and say to me “I was so concerned about growing up faster; I wish there was a way I could of slowed it down.”

There is possibly a need for some kind of orderly progression through childhood. In the past there were important cultural “markers” that determined the ages at which certain behaviours and belongings were appropriate. Those markers seem to have disappeared, or they’ve certainly been moved downward.

The red balloons represent childhood floating at a slow steady pace.

The Friendly Stranger

SOLD (90cm x 90cm)

I never had an imaginary friend when I was younger, but I know a lot of people did. My boy had one from the ages of around 3 to 5. His name was 'Cammy'. Cammy seemed to have disappeared during the last couple of years, but a few weeks ago I heard him get a mention once more. So he is still out there somewhere. Coupled with this, my work was recently commented on with suggestions of reminiscence to the animation of Raymond Briggs' story When The Wind Blows. With this I was reminded of another of Briggs’ stories that was also adapted into animation, The Snowman. Undoubtedly one of the most famous animations and certainly one of my favourites, it tells of a young boy who builds a snowman that comes to life overnight. Whether this is just his imagination is not really important, but to the boy, the friendly stranger is more than real.

This is a homage to the film that makes me smile and cry at the same time..... also to Cammy and other imaginary souls.

Kid For Today

SOLD (90cm x 70cm)

There is a myth that doing nothing is wasting time, when it's actually extremely productive and essential. During empty hours, kids explore the world at their own pace, develop their own unique set of interests and indulge in the sort of fantasy play that will help them figure out how to create their own happiness. When they are watching television, even if there is nothing particularly on, you just know they are sitting there lost in their own imagination. However, always the inquisitive, a kid will stop and stare at something that they feel is far more interesting!

What's The Story?

SOLD (90cm x 70cm)

Where have all the newspaper boys and girls gone? It’s not a familiar sight these days, either in the mornings or around tea time.

I remember in the early 80’s my older brother had four rounds on the go, one in the morning, two in the evening and one at the weekend…..all for about £5 a week!!....come to think of it, is it no wonder the Paperboys have called it a day. And what with getting up early morning in the more often that not freezing cold and/or wet weather!

Nothing can teach you more about the value of money than earning it for yourself, but sometimes maybe the effort being put in was worth more than the wage packet. Not that a little hard work never did anyone any harm. Perhaps the rise in pocket money has also seen less need to earn a little extra.

The thing is, becoming a paperboy or girl was a rite of passage for many children. Perhaps more than any other part-time job, it educated the young future worker about the importance of getting up in the morning, of punctuality and of steadfastness.

Personally, I was never one for any of that!

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