While searching for my Waterton slides today, I came across a storage box of slides marked ‘Artwork’. The first two slides go right back to my final show at Batley School of Art. I’d left school after my O-levels, against the advice of my headmaster, because I was keen to study art full time.
My two years at Batley centred on graphic design but I also qualified as a member of the Institute of British Interior Designers and Decorators (hence the theatrical designs for a theme pub), plus there was A-level art, art history, textiles, photography and ceramics. How did they fit all that in? During one year I remember having two, probably three, days a week when we worked from 9.30 in the morning until 9 at night. As I lived a two mile walk and a twenty minute bus ride away, it was hardly worth going home really. I’d treat myself to a fishcake sandwich, eaten as I walked briskly past the textile mills of Batley, to catch the late bus from Shaw Cross.
It was a delight to be encouraged to extend my skills in several directions at once. To try to extend my skills, I should say because my efforts were dissipated by such a range of tempting subjects; I remember that my final report, written by Mr Clarke, who taught exhibition design, 3D design and printmaking, was something along the lines of ‘Richard’s work is all over the place but he should eventually be able to find a specialist niche for himself’. Mr Clarke put it more diplomatically than that, though!
Looking at these slides, I notice how much hand-lettering we were encouraged to do. Instant Letraset rub-on lettering was something of a luxury. You could set type by hand, which was a wonderful introduction to typography.
As soon as I’d completed my O-levels, I’d started painting scenery for the Horbury Pageant Players and took every chance to design a poster for their productions and for other groups. The Lilac Domino poster was screen-printed professionally (at the time when screen-printers would hand-cut waxy stencils, which were then ironed on to the screen) but I printed the Men in Shadow poster on the big offset litho press in the college print room, which had a huge rubber-covered roller which ran on a kind of cog railway.
It wasn’t an unqualified success because the Pageant Players found my hand-lettering so unreadable that they also got the local letter-press printer to run up the usual playbill style poster. But I remember my pride at seeing my poster on display in the window of the garage opposite the town hall in Horbury (with the readable version displayed in the window next to it!)
One of my favourite options was the Friday morning photography course, run by Fred Sergeant. I was fascinated by techniques such as solarisation, bas-relief, high contrast black and white and reticulation.
I’ve still got a folio that includes almost all the artwork from my 1969 show.
I remember Batley fondly. Fred was a real character – David lambey, etc all really good lecturers
I saw Jean the model 10 or 15 years ago, she went on working as a model until the 1990s. I think that she said that David Lambey moved to the west coast of Scotland and opened a gallery. Sadly Fred died 4 or 5 years ago. Much as I would have loved access to Photoshop at the time, I’m glad that I went through all that messing about with developer and fixer in the darkroom.
Hi Richard & Tony
Phil Hallam here…Batley 1968 -72
It was Hugh Lammie and he was a great guy and brilliant artist. He did retire and set up a Studio in Oban but l have lost touch with him.
Good to read your articles and see your work Richard. I have great memories of Batley.
Cheers Phil
I’d heard he’d set up a little gallery there. The variety of departments and diversity of tutors (not to mention the diversity of students) really suited me: I still love to dabble in typography and photography and it was good to have an introduction to both in pre-digital days getting some hands on experience of movable type and developing black and white film and making prints in the darkroom. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t want to go back to that, but it was good to dip into the tradition, which is still relevant.