Object description
British civilian artist and anti-war activist in GB, 1960s-2008 including design work with Stop the War Coalition, 2001-2008
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Hertford, GB, 1930-1950: family including work of artist parents, Tom and Winifred; education including interest in art; outbreak of war; evacuees housed with family; loss of teachers to war; VE and VJ Day celebrations; plans for life after school; year at St Albans School of Art; membership of Air Training Corps at school; send-off from father at start of National Service, 1948; role with Army Education Corps; importance of year at St Albans. Aspects of period as student and junior tutor at Royal College of Art in GB, 1950-1955: joining of college; background of students; graphic design and illustration courses including artists worked under; invitation of artists to work within college; details of lectures; life classes; memories of fellow students; further artists invited to work within college. REEL 2 Continues: excitement of time at Royal College of Art; period as junior tutor and freelancer. Aspects of period as artist in GB from 1955: interest in wood engraving and books illustrated; period in advertising; details of illustration commissions in America and Britain including Penguin and London Transport; description of stamp designing work for General Post Office including links of stamp work with later protest posters; help gained from Postmaster General Tony Benn; increase in fame; reaction to Imperial War Museum's reception to protest posters; poster designed for Imperial War Museum; details of series of books on cities written and illustrated including story of visit to India and satisfaction gained from work; details of Penguin book covers. REEL 3 Continues: background to gaining work with oral historian George Ewart Evans; research for illustration work with Evans; interest in books of George Ewart Evans; opinions of and methods used by George Ewart Evans; details of Evans books illustrated; contrast with work illustrating books by Lawrence Durrell; places visited in Suffolk; memories and work of book designer John Lewis; series of posters designed for The National Trust including change in attitude toward work taken on and description of work with photographs; input gained from others during work process; discussion of design management. REEL 4 Continues: inspiration; details of lithograph commissions and prints; difference between lithographs and posters; overlapping between different areas of work; commission from London Transport for redecoration of Charing Cross underground station, late 1970s; details of resulting proposal for murals; mock-up created at disused Aldwych underground station; concerns over completion of task; description of processes used to complete murals including changes made for each platform. Aspects of period as civilian peace protester in GB, 1960s-2008: reasons for involvement with Aldermaston marches during 1960s; details of book A Special Relationship written in protest to American bombing of Libya. REEL 5 Continues: origins of protest art; details of book A Special Relationship published in 1987 in protest to American bombing of Libya; details of illustrations in book including reaction of Daily Mail; prize won in America for A Special Relationship; details of commission from Greenpeace in protest against pollution created by oil companies including ESSO; background to involvement with Stop the War Coalition and designing of the No poster; use of his posters at 15/2/2003 Stop the War demonstration in London; impressions of fellow protesters; discussion of success of No poster and protests; details of other designs made for Stop the War Coalition; concern over Bliar poster; use of blood spots in designs including toning down for Imperial War Museum exhibition Weapons of Mass Communication and for use on underground; creation of blood spots; time consumed by anti-war posters. REEL 6 Continues: assistance gained from Phil Waite and East End printers in initial stages; learning to cope on own; background to and details of installation in Parliament Square, 2/2006, including laying out of installation and assistance gained to keep it in place; opinion of success of installation and 2003 Iraq War; discussion of political art; aims of his protest art; description of anti-George W Bush poster designed; details of poster designed against potential war in Iran; visit of George W Bush to London; anti-war stance; changes in anti-Iraq War movement and discussion of events in Iraq since 2003 war; background to getting No poster accepted including help gained from Tony Benn; impressions of Stop the War Coalition.
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