It is hard to say which of the two subjects, Old English Scenes or British Racing Scenes, were closest to Tom’s heart. But if I had to choose, I would say that whilst his admiration for Lester Piggott and his love of the spirit and conformation of stallions was very prominent in the years I spent with him, the characters depicted together with the old heavy horse were a part of his own character, moulded together in his earliest years when he worked along side the skilled farmworkers at Coley Farm, Reading.
He shared so many memories of summer holidays haymaking, baling and caring for the horses. It always struck me that he must have had a very acute mind to pick up so much knowledge of the individual skills needed in those days in such a short time. I would have to say that from what he told me, Old Ben and his Sons probably epitomised everything he respected in the everyday lives of these people.
The larger canvases were painted at the request of Windsor Safari Park to decorate the White House Mansion, which was being opened to the public. They hung there until the park closed down.
The smaller square canvases were painted partly as a commission by a book publisher in Newbury who produced a book called A Sussex Garland. This book concentrated on the old skills, some of which have now been lost forever due to mechanisation and lack of interest by our modern-day throw away society. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
