“What happened in the Blitz, Grand-dad?” was the question that sparked a series of paintings for Dannevirke based artist John Lawrence.
While many New Zealand war stories have been emerging as part of the WWI commemorations, John’s are from the perspective of a 10 year old growing up on a London housing estate. “My grand daughter was doing a school project on the War and I realized that there are several generations who have no idea what it was like in Britain in those days,” he says.
He describes the time as “terrifying”: “We had our own bomb shelter at home which was a hole in the vege patch with some corrugated iron over it. That was quite uncomfortable in winter. We went there at night and then there would be another shift of bombers coming over at daybreak so we just managed to get to school before going down into the school shelter.”
John says his wife, the sculptor Ann Verdcourt, was “in the even thicker of it” as she lived in Luton which was targeting because of its wartime industrial manufacturing, referenced in one of his paintings, ‘Camouflaged Factory’.
John says his childhood home was not steeped in things artistic: “My father told me if I wanted culture and that stuff I needed to look in the library.” He realized he could express his love of stories visually, and went to art school when he was 21, working -in graphic design and ceramics, then rising to Head of Ceramics at Luton School of Art.
The couple emigrated to Pahiatua in 1965 to escape rising Cold War tensions and had been inspired by an article they’d read about NZ ceramicist Helen Mason. Coming to Pahiatua was “a terrible culture shock”, but John set up a home studio making domestic pottery, and taught workshops and evening classes to supplement his teaching at local schools.
Some of John’s paintings are on shaped pieces of wood and recycled surfaces with the paint extended onto the existing frames. He thinks frames oftrn distract from the work and his recycling spirit comes from being an art student post-WWII “when we had to live on the equivalent of about $10 a week and used to go to junk shops to find materials”.
An indelible memory of living through the Blitz is walking to meet friend and seeing a child’s toy perched on a pile of bricks in a section demolished by an oil bomb, an image he has put into the ‘altarpiece’ painting after which the exhibition is named.
The sadness of living through WWII only to see similar horrors happening throughout the world is not lost on him, and he has explored ideas about environmental and social issues in his art ever since. He has had many solo exhibitions in New Zealand, and last exhibited at Aratoi in 2003. He has work in the Dowse and Te Manawa collections.
World premier of Aratoi kids’ film
There will be a screening to raise money for the Aratoi school holiday programme featuring ’The Time Machine’, a film created by children at the last holiday programme. The world premier will start with a trailer called ‘Bully of the Day’, also created by kids at Aratoi, under the guidance of animator and marionette artist Steffen Kreft. Tickets are $5 from Aratoi. Regent 3 Cinema, Tues 23 Sept. Drinks & nibbles from 4.30pm for 5pm.
Currently showing at Aratoi: ‘John Lawrence: What happened in the Blitz, Grandad?’, until 12 Oct; ‘Hidden Faces, Hidden Gems’ - Wairarapa Camera Club, until 21 Sept; David Cauchi: 'Memories of the future', until 12 Oct.
