est. 1984

I was an Art Student, turned long distance driver. A closed profession really, a lonely life with strangers for company, passers-by as friends, but Stars of the Road to guide you. I was travelling all over Britain, learning how everything went. It didn't take long to work it out! After 20 years I went back Painting - the one subject I knew. No Still Life, or Nudes (like when as 16 year olds we used to draw Quentin Crisp and other models.) Instead it was Lorries and Roads. To start off I took some lorry paintings round to some art galleries. Not interested. So Colleen, my wife, thought to by-pass them, make up a display and go direct to the public. Try for some work. We did just that and travelled the show round the local rallies and country fairs. There was a bit of interest. So in September we gave it one more chance further afield, at the Dorset Steam Fair and then the Leyland Museum Autumn Rally, Lancashire. Dorset was a good steam show, we got a bit of interest. s. Leyland was a different story and we landed about 15 commissions in one day, for paintings of Lorries old and new. Next April we worked out a rota to travel our show round nationwide, every weekend more or less until November, trying out Country Fairs and Transport Rallies. The work was there in some places, all-right, so the next year we tried the best ones again; it worked. We found you could just about make a living by visiting half a dozen or so shows a year, building up a following of customers, who became good friends. We did this for 22 years until 2007. I was painting 30 or so commissions a year and often with another 30 - 40 ahead. We sold originals, and prints, with three or four Winter calendar delivery trips. No one was doing this then. I never saw them anyway. It might have been better had there been someone else painting lorries for a living, then I wouldn't have felt so awkward. It was very hard for me to face the crowds, as basically I'm a Lone Wolf. I've always worked alone. Not unfriendly, but with none of the old chat to engage people. Coll was our "Front of House"!

People kept asking us to do a book of Paintings, so in the end we gave way, with our first of two books in 2005. It took a couple of years to write out. It cost us 20 grand, with 2 months to pay. We never had anything like that sort of money, but got the orders up front, set the price and broke even. £3000 of it was for photography. Putting paintings onto disc, was expensive but turned out to be good, as now there is a record of 100s of paintings - out of nearly 1100 done. The second book was done by Roger Smith, of old Pond Publishing. He stood the costs and was a real Gentleman. We got a percentage of the profits, but he retired and the company was taken over by somebody else who didn't do us any favours - let's put it that way! I couldn't be bothered to argue the toss with them.

Painting pictures of lorries is looked down on. I'm regarded as a either a Nerd or a Dinosaur! Not that I care much about that, but to make a living you don't get much help. (One writer did say I was cool, which I'm not). To me, Painting aside, it is a bit of Social History, and the only subject I know much about anyway. And something I believe in. As Lorry Drivers we did a vital job. Not blowing my own trumpet but just making a case. I don't think that the population wouldn't have lasted more than a month or so without us! Little do they realise.

As things are going the world is trying to go greener, which Coll and I agree with 1000%. But we closed down half the Railways, scrapped Trolleybuses, and sent the canals to waste. - we let it all go. Some catching up to do.

For the few years when Transport was State run, Roads, Rail and Canals ran together. I'd say it was on course for working really well. Today the talk is of getting lorries doing all the short distance runs, battery powered, etc. When Nelson gets his eye back I'd say to that, but probably I'm wrong. The modern Diesel Lorry engines seem to be state of the art, and bound to improve, if we go for it.

Painting was a good move in a way for me. I had to pack up Driving as Coll fell really ill when we had our Son, Olly.

I was lucky to have something else to turn my hand to, as I started out as an Art Student, doing Abstract Art, until I was 17.

I chucked it in to go driving for a living. Hard going the job was then, a lot more to it than meets the eye. Crash Gearboxes, 8 wheelers with no power steering (but lovely to drive.) How to stack different loads, of anything you could imagine, and mostly Handball. Sheeting and Roping, to keep the loads dry and secure was a real Art. Knowing the roads inside out (no Sat Navs, whatever they are!) British roads in the winter - no picnic! Always in everyone's way. Or in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Police on your back. Being carved up by car drivers. Unpopular. I remember some hero on the TV saying that Lorries should be confined to night driving so that car users can have the road to themselves. To which I'd reply - Or the other way round! -

As an old driver once told me - You'll be looked on as a tramp. The only difference being is that you ride, whereas they walk! -

But it took highly skilled people to do it, and patient with it. A worthwhile and enjoyable profession.

The Art side is also good, bit harder to make a living, maybe, such as leaving home from Aberaeron, Saturday 1a.m., for somewhere like South Shields, kids and Coll asleep in the back of the van, on your feet all day Sunday, a quick half hours kip by the sea front, and home overnight, getting back Monday morning. Breaking even on the sales, gaining a couple of orders for paintings. Well, I never had to do that sort of work on the road. If they wanted that, some did, I'd be gone, and I was! But we've had the Charmed Life. All in all we found plenty of work from honest decent people, and made friends with some amazing folk, which has been the Paycheque for us.

Coll and Al/ Roadscapes

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Use this space to introduce yourself or your business to site visitors. Share who you are, what you do, and the purpose of this website.

150+

15

Years of experience

Happy clients