Sad News

 

not...the man named above...but titled after Ron Devious, CEO of Spagggettti Enterprises!

Allan Green - a memoir…

I began this idiosyncratic discursive nonsense with an acknowledgement to my close friend Allan Green who I’ve already credited with a vast majority of photographs on this site.  I am extremely saddened to report that Allan died on October 19th 2024.
Much more a figurative than abstract artist Allan was far more interested and attracted to the sessions run by Peter Redgrove than any other aspect of the art school offer.  I don’t recall exactly when but I’m sure it was only a few weeks in he also took up photography in a far more committed and serious fashion than most of the rest of our cohort.  John Wilkinson ran the photography studios high up in Kerris Vean the old house at the top of the small campus and was really helpful to anyone that wanted to engage with the medium (and to the film makers such as Denis Lowe - see this link to his much more comprehensive site on Falmouth).

Allan photographed in front of the photo montage at his degree show

Allan and myself, along with Jimmy Whitehead were the longterm residents of the Penwerris Inn and consequently got to know one another well.  I think it was our shared interest in literature and, especially poetry that bonded us - not least as Allan started to write quite seriously.  Encouraged by Redgrove and, I like to think, egged on by my occasional critiques (or crass commentary as you wish!) he developed a body of written work that stands the test of time.  The three books he produced, The Crack, HMS Air Rifle, Jim’s Dream and Devious are the backbone of his award of a first class Diploma - the only one awarded in our cohort of Painting students!   The last of these volumes is interspersed with photographs in a manner that years later might be termed Sebaldian - indeed Allan’s written work as a whole has something of the same stylistic range as that of the great man.  Oddly enough two years after completing his Diploma in 1973 Allan took a place on the (now) legendary Writing MA at East Anglia.  At the time, WG Sebald was settling into his lecturing berth at the University - I never got to ask Allan if they ever met though in our conversations that included his time in Norwich and our mutual interest in Sebald’s writing he never mentioned him, and his partner Moira tells me that they never had an encounter.  I shall post some extracts from these volumes on this site in the near future.

Like many many others, I miss him a great deal - our conversations down the years often touching on ‘those Ponderosa days’…

Calling Out...

Calling out of Falmouth was not as easy in 1971 as it is these days...no mobile phone of course, no serious cash (although I think we all appreciated our Grant cheque - the princely sum of £60 a term in the first year - and yes I do know that today's students would kill for that!), no phone in our flat and a trip to the phone box to make a call at all.

And here it is...with our flat being the top floor of the building - The Penwerris Inn - in the centre distance. And below a view of the whole place. To the left of the neon sign (often not working!) is our balcony that had a good view away to the left across the playing fields and to the right across the estate and onto the Fal estuary...

 

Where are they now?

Not Quite Social, John Elliot

John Elliot was a good friend when he arrived at Falmouth, a year or two? after our year group.  But like so many others I lost contact with him when I finished in 1973.  Whilst I was working at East Midlands Arts (and often in London) I did visit the Anne Berthoud Gallery in the early 80's to see a solo show he had made.  It seems someone from Sheffield Museums maybe did too.  I was surprised to see a painting from that show in a room full of 80's notables (local boy John Hoyland and Bridget Riley amongst them) recently on a visit to the Graves Gallery.  What happened after that I've no idea though I have a feeling that John may have passed.  I do hope not - and if anyone comes across this post and knows...please leave a commentf

a amongst temirly regularly 

That which goes around...

comes around...or so it's often said.  In a 'portfolio' career I spent some time in Art & Design HE, first as Assistant Dean and then Dean of a Faculty at Derby University.  In fact although I didn't start until age 43 it turned out to be my longest employment stint of some fourteen years.  For a period I was fortunate to engage the services of Emma Hunt who became one of my Assistant Dean's before she went onto Huddersfield as Dean of their A&D School. This is all a preamble to her desire in her first year as Vice-Chancellor of Falmouth University to celebrate 120 years of Art & Design education in the town.  And hence my interest in assisting with the task.

 

My studio space just ahead of the diploma show in 1973

Looking back over these posts I'm realising how few images of the School I have.  Sadly Allan Green, the guy who shot the majority of B&W's here, was much more of a people person as regards his images.  Most of what I do have relates to the work I made.  So here's a few, not because the work is of any interest! But more to give a context of the place itself.

A sculpture I took onto the lawn to photograph with the entrance to the Foundation Studies block behind

 It was a rather idyllic set up.  Kerris Vean, an old Edwardian (?) house at the top of the road spilled down towards the beach through gardens that extended beyond the plot of scrub behind the painting studios.  It was on this 'backlot' site that my pal Jimmy Whitehead made one of his Spirograph pieces using up the substantial amount of pigments that lecturer Bob Organ had assembled in a small room to allow for the making of oil paint!  Oddly enough the immaculate lawn above also suffered the indignity of another Spirograph effort where lawn fertisiler was deployed...it didn't entirely come off but the faint difference in tone was noticable from the upper floors of KV...not least from Principal Michael Finn's office!

Jimmy on the 'backlot'...

Its amusing to think how such pranks (sorry serious artworks...) would be handled today inside a substantial institution like Falmouth University!  Back then though the entire Art School I am fairly certain counted for perhaps 300 or 400.  Certainly the painting dept. comprised only 60 or so students and 7 staff.

The view from the lawn towards Kerris Vean with the group prepping our polyhedral dome (inspired by the annual Keith Critchlow visit) for flight. Stuart (Reid) lights the touch paper.

 

Party Time!

 

It was a feature of most Art & Design colleges and Falmouth was no different. The title of Pete Brown & Pibloko's album of 1970 summed it up.  These tickets that we made (I'm pretty certain that Jim Whitehead and myself were involved along with others - Dave Weekes, Allan Green?) suggest that the beer was free...but I may be romanticising it?  I do recall that at one such event we realised the brewery had sent the casks but forgotten to include the spigots.  Cue a dash across town in Colin Hill's car (just about the only student on campus I knew who had one!) with me decked out as King Charles (in fetching heels, velvet pants and brocade jacket) back to The Penwerris.  Here I braved the bar to request  the loan of a spigot to save the day...such sacrifices had to be made!

'Your New Boss' refers to John Elliot, who took over the Presidency of the Students Union, as our year began winding down our social side to concentrate on our final year studies (at least that was the theory).  I've not got a contact for John...I know he had some early success as a painter (see Art UK site) showing in London - but again I don't remember the dealer...  

Squadron Leader & Bomber...

Jim in the studio with (I think) David Weekes with his back to the camera - note the famous VCS3 in the bottom right.  Another great photo from Allan Green.

I'm not sure if Jim Dymond was a Squadron Leader! but I'm fairly sure he had been in the RAF as a pilot and had come to college subsequently.  Being a decade or so older than most of us he provided intelligence & thoughtfulness to a group of youngsters who - and I'll speak only for myself here - sorely needed some of those qualities! In any event prompted by our painting tutor, Ron Smith, one of whose canvases (splendidly replete with his very avant garde cutouts) can be spied in the background, we formed the Ron Smith Group.  Ron was by this time heavily into his saxophone experimentation and encouraged us in our 'freeform jazz' aspirations.  So much so that when he wasn't around we set up a gig - in the lecture theatre - and produced a handbill to announce ourselves.

"Cruisin' with Squadron Leader Jim Dymond and his 'jets' Dave Manley, Allan Green, Jimmy Whitehead (Bomber)
'Mildly Electric' featuring Boy Scouts Night Out formerly the Ron Smith Group.
a) any other moment than this in a total state of experiences - LIVE IN ANY OTHER MOMENT
any phrase has time (length) but we appreciate this now - even memory. The phrase the music is only 'seen' in parts in its own moment - and realy (sic) cannot be considered outside this moment. "START AT THE BEGINNING AND END AT THE END" Sol Le Witt

I say 'we' but I'm fairly certain this was (substantially) the work of 'Bomber' Jimmy Whitehead.  Jimmy had been a pupil at the legendary Moseley Road School of Art, a specialist secondary for talented kids, and was a mercurial individual with an insatiable appetite for going 'out there'.  He has become a distinguished and feted composer with his alter ego JLiat and you can find out more about how this came about here.  The nascent beginnings of his complex philosophical music can be detected in the musings on the handbill - or not!

Jimmy Whitehead (other than on the handbill never nicknamed 'Bomber'!)

The text along the side of the bill runs:

'Tall, dark, straggly haired, middle aged, ex- R.A.F. pilot Jim Dymond leads his highly trained 'Jets' - 'Bomber' Jimmy Whitehead, languid Al Green (so tired of bein' alone) and Boy Genius Dave Manley into the strange moribund darkness of new music from under the wing of 'fledgling rock saxist' Ron Smith'.  Its a mark of Jim's decency that he never objected to any of the epithets and whilst Allan and myself have some decencies inflicted by a lifetime's experience to describe me as a 'boy genius' and he as 'languid' is something of a stretch!

Catching Up...

It's got to be towards the summer of 1973 when the group above posed for this one...we think in the pub at the top of Jacob's Ladder (now called that but not back then?).  This picture comes courtesy of Tom Batty (centre at back) who thinks that I might have taken it - though I don't quite recall it.  Today we met up - our first such meet since that summer!

From left to right around the table are Imogen Pilling, not sure?,Anna Brockett, Allan Green, Jenny Rees, Tom, not at all sure?, Jimmy Whitehead, Dave Weekes and John Elliot.  If by any chance any one of you see this let me know details you can remember after all this time. Allan and Tom I've already written about here but John E became a well respected painter in the early 80's and showed in a commercial London gallery.  Dave W has worked in a variety of contexts including Cranfield School of Management and currently lives in Manchester working mainly (I think) in Illustration.  Jimmy has had a career as a contemporary classical (minimalist) composer (inspired by seeing John Cage at the RAH on a college trip) and Anna has made a career in Film Animation (partly inspired by a visit to college by Bob Godfrey.  We often blather on about 'transferable skills' in University Art Departments nowadays...and most of it is utter tosh.  If the group above proves anything its that the richness of the inputs makes for the more interesting of outputs!

Tom...where have you been?

Alongside those students that arrived at College the same time as me we had several other close pals from other years. Tom Batty was one such and crops up regularly in photos of our group.  Sadly I completely lost touch with him after we finished in June 1973.  Luckily enough I recently discovered he lives not that far off from me in the East Midlands.

So tomorrow I'm off to Melton Mowbray to meet him for lunch...a bit of catching up I guess...after a gap of 44 years...it barely seems plausible!

Adventures In The Studio

Myself & Jim Dymond, in performance...

My recollection is that a handwritten note was pinned to the painting dept. noticeboard simply saying that if you were interested in ‘contemporary music’ you should fetch up in a room that (certainly for me at least) I’d hardly noticed before on the bottom corridor. 

Several of us went along.  We met an eccentric looking Welshman who had an Afro hairdo and a terrific bushy mexican moustache.  He was Howard Rees and looking back I now imagine that he wasn’t that many years older than we were.  He was a terrifically energetic, classically trained musician but with a passionate interest in modern music.  Before he let us loose on the amazing kit (that included Sennheiser Concert Speakers, two Revox four track tape recorders and - the very latest sensational musical gismo the VCS3 that we’d only ever seen Brian Eno play on TOTP!) he insisted we go up to the College music room (a comfortable living room that overlooked the gardens) where he introduced us to KarlHeinz Stockhausen’s Kontakte.  There are few moments that are truly revelatory in life but for me, and several others present I reckon, that was one.  A week later Howard was back and we were in the room again listening to Steve Reich’s It’s Gonna Rain and either that week or the following it was Terry Riley’s A Rainbow In Curved Air.  Those sessions have lived in my head for almost forty five years!

Tom Batty (I think) and myself 'performing' for John Elliot

We went on to play about in the studio, to play about with the kit, to make all kinds of sound pieces and even, with our painting tutor, Ron Smith who was by this time less interested in paintings but obsessive about his saxophone playing form an experimental sound group that variously was called Sticks Mbutto & his Magic Band and the Ron Smith Big Quartet (ha ha…there were five of us).  One of number - Jimmy - who I shall feature in another post soon - was so transformed by these experiences he has made his life in avant garden musical circles.

John Elliot 'fixing' a guitar

What happened to Howard?  I’m not sure but I think there may be a reference to him in the book Cybersonic Arts: Adventures in American New Music.  There is mention in Chapter 11 What We Did Last Summer to the International Carnival of Experimental Sound in London in Summer 1972.  A band with Cornelius Cardew in it called Naked Software also lists members John Lifton, Anna Lockwood, Harvey Matusow and - Howard Rees.  I have also turned up a credit on Harold Budd’s 1978 album The Pavilion of Dreams for Howard Rees as the Vibes/Marimba player in the ensemble.  In addition an intriguing album by the Welsh Argentine Guitar Duo features a finale piece written by a Howard Rees called Goodbye Alun and Thank you-Elegy in Memoriam Alun Hoddinott.  It might be a stretch but Howard was Welsh!  There’s also a listing on Gavin Bryars first take on The Sinking Of The Titanic on Eno’s Obscure label in 1975 of a Howard Rees as ‘director’.  Given his interests there's at least a chance these are our man.

A real longitudinal study...

If there's any purpose to this at all it might be the way in which it could reflect the lives and careers of art students. At a time when the professionalisation of Art Schools (sorry I mean University Arts Depts) has all but drained their entire lifeblood it might give pause for thought...though in the current climate I doubt it.

In this picture I'm mooching about the top floor flat's living room whilst Dave Thomas gets on with some serious painting; in this case an almost life size self portrait.  It's paid off pretty well for Dave!

Cheers!

We say 'bottoms up' from the Ponderosa, the public bar at the Penwerris Inn, Falmouth, Cornwall.

Let loose the dogs of war...

The staircase up to the second floor of the Penwerris and our flat was patrolled by Melville's two alsatians - don't be fooled by the recumbent and placid looking fella here.  Sure if you knew him.  But if you didn't I'd give very little for your chances...

Shrouded in darkness (the Ponderosa was mostly like that even on a sunny day...) here sits Melville J Brooks, the proprietor.  Engaged in his favourite pursuit, the card game Euchre.  I never really understood it...two teams of two competed and some games took forever whilst others ended almost instantly usually with roars of cusses.

Amigos

Four of the amigos...from the left, Shaks (David Shakarian), Jimmy (James Whitehead), David (Weekes) and Paul (Guidici).  Jimmy, David & Paul were also Painting students from 1970 to 73.  Shaks was in the year following (71 to 74).  

About this blog...

Ponderosa Days blog is an occasional and quite random recollection of my days as a student at Falmouth School of Art from the autumn of 1970 to 1973 when I 'graduated' with a Diploma in Art & Design and went off to Birmingham School of Art & Design to do a post graduate course.  It owes almost everything to my pal and fellow student Allan Green (on the right in the photo of us both, winter 1970) who took most of the photos here ( the colour ones are slides of mine) and who wrote the snippets of his epic poem 'Those Ponderosa Days'.  The Ponderosa (besides being the home of the Cartwrights in Bonanza) was the public bar of the Penwerris Inn.  Allan and myself (and quite a few others) lived there on and off for some two years or so.

The wider context

I came across this

site whilst looking for information on the marvellous Lionel Miskin for one of my other blogs. Lionel was just one of the exceptional people that populated the staff at the college and his eccentricity and individuality seem to me to be exactly what art schools should be about.  I imagine he wouldn't last five minutes in one of our University Art Faculties...and nor in all probability would he have wanted to!

portrait from Dennis' site

• "Chiraa-Khoor" - Huun Huur Tu

School Photoshoot - On the top lawn

Taken sometime in late 72 or early 73...

Oh Give Me A Home (2)

Oh give me a home where the old alkis roam

And rats through an alcoholic haze

Where seldom is heard an intelligible word

Oh those far off Ponderosa days

Melville J. Brooks

"Now just one man supports the bar

His name is Melville Brooks

One eye he has which doesn’t know

which way the other looks"

The Balcony

Me dressed as a gangster on the Balcony early in 1973, the playing fields below.