By John McGregor
Today, La Marina resident Brian Watson is an artist – and a very good one too, see his work. But it wasn’t always like that. Brian takes up the story:
‘I was brought up in Walthamstow, E.17 at a Church of England Childrens Home which I absolutely loved. At school I was told I had hidden talents making plasticine models, and felt I really came alive in art lessons. At the third time of trying I was adopted by a family with one other older son.
Aged fourteen it was time to leave school and my art teacher suggested I put my creative talents to use by going to a commercial arts school. I was excited and thrilled but my step-father, with whom I never gelled told me to get a proper job and not waste my pipe dreams.
The following week I stopped by a local Butcher’s shop and ended up waiting all day for the manager to come back. Eventually he did and offered me a job due to my persistence – and I began a career in butchery. I enjoyed dressing the window every day, and I loved looking in the shop next door that sold paintings.
I even painted a picture of the shop on butchers wrapping paper. By the age of thirty five I had bought my own butchers shop in Luton and three years later I had my own factory and twelve outlets. I loved designing and marketing the advertising material.
My wife Sally and I came to Spain in 2003 with retirement in mind intending to paint but I took the opportunity to start a new line of business with market stalls which I enjoyed for the next fifteen years. At last at the age of seventy five I started painting in earnest on a regular basis and I found my work was being appreciated by other people, and I sold a number of my paintings.
It was then I discovered the Cuevas de Rojales exhibition of culture, near where I live in Benijofar, held every first Sunday of the month. There are caves and many stalls on the hillside selling all sorts of personally crafted items. At the very first one I attended I sold twelve paintings. Here I can sit and paint and discuss art with anyone which has resulted in a number of commissions.
I paint most days: local scenes, flamenco dancing and the instrumentalists, pets, portraits; I love the details of my pictures. I have finally made my dreams come true, so my advice is – never give up!
