L.S. Lowry

Did you know that L.S. Lowry only decided to become an artist because he missed a train? He wasn't a young man, just one who was inspired by the industrial environment of England's north west. What follows for the next quarter of an hour provides us with a little characterful insight into the man, what drove him then and still does as his now legendary "matchstick" characters are known the world over. He states that he prefers to imagine an image rather than base it on what he actually sees; he isn't interested in politicising the images he portrays nor is he especially bothered about perspective - he just paints as he finds. His fascination with the ordinary and drab is addressed - quite forcefully, as are his attitudes to the commercialisation of his (and other people's) works. He's not remotely concerned with how his subjects are dressed; with the fact that his folks are long, thin or given huge great feet. For the most part, he comes across as a friendly, honestly self-indulgent, man whose home is populated by clocks and D.G. Rosetti paintings and contains his studio where he is, by nature, a bit of a loner. What's evident from his conversation is that he paints for himself - and the fact that anyone else likes his work is quite incidental. His home would make an extraordinary museum for a quirky character who comes across as an entirely genuine man who is addicted to painting and who improvises as he goes along. More than anything, here is a man who enjoys what he does.