Serendipity - Paintings Terry Harrison, canal artist

Terry Harrison is a well-known local artist whose paintings and prints of the Basingstoke Canal figure prominently in galleries, pubs, shops and other public places in the South East of England. Brian Fox interviewed him in 1994 at his home in Cove, Hampshire.     When did you first move into this area and encounter the Basingstoke Canal?     In November 1965, when my father, who was in the RAF was posted to the Institute of Aviation Medicine at Farnborough. Coming from Norfolk, I didn't believe there was a canal round here, and it was only when I went fishing with some friends from Cove school that I discovered anything about it. When they told me about it I expected to see something like the Manchester Ship Canal, but of course it wasn't at all like that. It was then quite derelict in places, but there were stretches where it was fairly intact.     And what did you do when you left school?     In 1969 I went to Farnham Art School, before it amalgamated with the West Surrey College of Art and Design. But I didn't complete the course: I dropped out because they weren't teaching the sort of thing that I wanted to do. They were into abstract, Jackson Pollock type of painting, whereas my heroes were Turner and Constable. But I did realise from that time the importance of drawing, and I shall always be grateful to them for that. I joined a London graphic design studio, but retained painting as an evening and weekend activity. I was into aviation painting by then, partly because I came from an Air Force family. That led me into many interesting projects. I did box top illustrations for model manufacturers such as Airfix and Frog. One commission took me to Duxford before it was an Air Museum, to do sketches of a Liberator for an Australian publisher. At the Farnborough Air Shows in 1962 and 1974, my paintings were hung in the Midland Bank's hospitality chalet, and this led to commissions from firms like Hawker Siddeley. My favourite painting from that era is one of Concorde landing at Farnborough - and this still remains one of my best selling prints. It was, of course, necessary to be very accurate when painting aircraft: any inaccuracy is quickly picked up by the enthusiasts - and this is true also of canal enthusiasts, so my aviation painting stood me in good stead when I turned back to landscape painting at the end of the '70s. After the graphic design office, I joined Yellow Pages as an illustrator for 15 years, and then became a full-time professional painter in 1986. I've never regretted the change, and I've met a lot of interesting people.     Tell me about your first canal painting     My first canal painting was at Broad Oak in about 1969. I stumbled across what I thought was a dried up pond with a bridge. The bridge was virtually derelict, and beside it was a wooden footbridge: it made a great painting. I'd no idea then that it was part of the canal. I also painted a lot in the Winchfield area. At Art school I used to do a lot of made-up paintings, incorporating bridges which I found very appealing. Then when I came back to landscape painting in the '80s, I decided to repaint some of the scenes I had painted 10 years earlier. I went back to Broad Oak, only to find that the lovely old derelict bridge which had so captivated me 10 years earlier had been completely restored to a brand new state and it didn't look at all as I had remembered it. But I have done a lot of canal painting since then, and these paintings and prints have proved to be very popular, not only in this area, but also in the Midlands and even in America, France and Ireland.     Your first paintings were in oils, but what makes them distinctive now is your use of water-colour and acrylics applied with a sponge. How did this change come about?     Almost by accident really. In about 1987, I had an exhibition coming up in Hartley Wintney. I thought I'd do some water-colours, as they would be quicker, but I soon found that water-colours were not as easy as I imagined. I had had some acrylics by me for some time, and as these could be diluted with water like water-colours I started using these. I made some ghastly mistakes, and rushed to the bathroom to scrub them out with a sponge, and I found that by trying to rectify the mistakes I was actually getting the effects that I wanted by using acrylics with a sponge. I put the water-colours/acrylics into the exhibition, and they were the first to sell. People found them different, and it really developed from there.

When did you join the Canal Society?     About 10 or 12 years ago, since when I've painted several pictures for Society members, and for presentations.     For example the presentation to Robin Higgs, the former Chairman, on his wedding, was a picture of Pirbright Lock with a train going across a bridge over the canal to incorporate his two main interests.     Pirbright Lock, with a train traversing the Bisley Viaduct,     I also had a commission to do a painting of Kings Head Bridge for Surrey Heath Borough Council as an historic record in case it was destroyed in any development, and that now hangs in Surrey Heath Council Offices.

PURCHASE To commission or purchase paintings or prints contact Terry Harrison - phone (UK) 01252 545012

- and the Barley Mow to Spratch Hatch stretch is my favourite in Hampshire. Barley Mow Bridge, Winchfield, Hampshire     You are doing a lot of demonstrations now. Isn't it nerve-racking to have to paint in front of an audience?     It certainly was at first. My first demonstration was to the Farnborough Art Club, and I was very nervous. But I normally can introduce a bit of humour now, and they are much more relaxed. I find now that I am doing about two a week on average, normally to Art Clubs, and I get invited to the Isle of Sheppey, the Kent coast, Cambridge, the New Forest and so on. I also sometimes get invited to Women's Institute or Rotary Club meetings, but these are more in the nature of entertainments where I have to produce a painting in half an hour, often after dinner. I was very pleased this year to be invited to demonstrate for Daler-Rowney at the Art Materials Exhibition in London in June.     What painters have influenced you?     I've always admired most the paintings of Constable and Turner, but apart from those great masters, I think Rowland Hilder's landscapes have had a big influence.     I knew Alwyn Crawshaw before he became popular on TV, and his attitude and enthusiasm rubbed off on me to some extent, and likewise with David Sheppard - though of course there's no question of mimicking any other painter; one must develop one's own technique. One man who did teach me a lot was Robin Ball, one of the tutors at the Farnham Art School, from whom I learned the importance of planning and thinking through a picture before you start to apply paint. Most amateurs don't really appreciate that.     (from BC News 165, Spring 1994)   BACK

Last updated October 2000