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Ron Hough is still at it


David Schweizer

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Earlier this week I was at the boat for its BSS inspection, which it passed, and whilst there drove over to Braunstion to pick up a couple of panels Ron Hough has been decorating for me. One is a castle panel to go into the Back cabin cupboard door, and the other is a new lower panel for the forward cabin door (hence the hole for the ventilator grille). here is a picture:-

 

DoorPanel01a.jpg

 

A rumour has been going around that Ron is no longer doing any painting which is not correct, He stopped painting complete boats a number of years ago, and stopped decorating boats last year. However he is still happy to decorate anything which can be got to his home and into his workshop. When I visited him on Tuesday, he had three Water Cans, a Cabin stool and a pair of back cabin doors in progress. He has even recently completed a set of cabin side panels for a former Barlows boat currently being restored, which will be built ito the new back cabin cabin sides, already decorated.

 

I am aware that Roses and Castles are not universally popular, but Ron's work is genuinely part of a tradition. He is the last of the boatyard trained boat decorators still working, and I for one will be giving him a few more commissions before he finally decides to retire. My next project is a boat cabin stool

Edited by David Schweizer
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I find it fascinating how similar some of the canal paintings are to Swedish kurbits, or kutbitz painting. I wish I new how to do it.

There is a similar style to be found on furniture in Russia. The decoration came over here when Peter the Great was learning about English boats in London and he made a day trip up to Braunston.

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  • 3 months later...

There is a similar style to be found on furniture in Russia. The decoration came over here when Peter the Great was learning about English boats in London and he made a day trip up to Braunston.

Are you kidding us, Sir? Sounds like a startling revelation.

 

Incidentally, Ron Hough is the last of his kind, but I think that he was already the only one left when Tony Lewery published Flowers Afloat in 1996. Who was the second to last?

 

Joseph

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Are you kidding us, Sir? Sounds like a startling revelation.

 

Incidentally, Ron Hough is the last of his kind, but I think that he was already the only one left when Tony Lewery published Flowers Afloat in 1996. Who was the second to last?

Joseph

Probably Dennis Clarke, also a Frank Nurser trained painter.

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Are you kidding us, Sir? Sounds like a startling revelation.

 

Incidentally, Ron Hough is the last of his kind, but I think that he was already the only one left when Tony Lewery published Flowers Afloat in 1996. Who was the second to last?

 

Joseph

 

Sorry - a bit off topic - but another little known fact is that an apothecary in the service of Alexander the Great was the inventor of the first portable time-piece. He discovered a mix of chemicals that would change colour according to the time of day - something to do with light sensitivity. He soaked a piece of cloth in the chemical, dried it out, and it was then tied around the wrist like a watch.

 

The invention was of course known as Alexander's rag time-band.

 

(I'll get my coat, shall I?)

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Earlier this week I was at the boat for its BSS inspection, which it passed, and whilst there drove over to Braunstion to pick up a couple of panels Ron Hough has been decorating for me. One is a castle panel to go into the Back cabin cupboard door, and the other is a new lower panel for the forward cabin door (hence the hole for the ventilator grille). here is a picture:-

 

DoorPanel01a.jpg

 

A rumour has been going around that Ron is no longer doing any painting which is not correct, He stopped painting complete boats a number of years ago, and stopped decorating boats last year. However he is still happy to decorate anything which can be got to his home and into his workshop. When I visited him on Tuesday, he had three Water Cans, a Cabin stool and a pair of back cabin doors in progress. He has even recently completed a set of cabin side panels for a former Barlows boat currently being restored, which will be built ito the new back cabin cabin sides, already decorated.

 

I am aware that Roses and Castles are not universally popular, but Ron's work is genuinely part of a tradition. He is the last of the boatyard trained boat decorators still working, and I for one will be giving him a few more commissions before he finally decides to retire. My next project is a boat cabin stool

I cannot but agree that Ron ( one of my best friends ) is now uniquely placed in our boat painting world. He is the last remaining painter whose professional family tree goes back into the heyday of working boat yards. WORKING BOAT yards - not working BOATYARDS! I, spent 30 years or more painting , and learning, in boatyards where work is done and Meg , my ex-apprentice ( and now a very competent professional working in a traditional vein ) did all her learning in just such a yard. Neither of us is Ron nor could we ever hope to be - he is the last link with Nurser and those who came before him and I am hugely grateful for all the things he has told me about the nature of yard work before the leisure boom changed things so dramatically. There are, however , still a number of painters, not many right enough, who would have been well accepted by their peers in the old days and by the working boat families - so we should be thankful for small mercies. Long may Uncle Ron reign - or perhaps RAIN may be more appropriate after his recent rather soggy sojourn in the glen with us.

I have one of his cabin stools. It was a gift. He rang me before Zita and I got married saying "Yvonne tells me I`ve got to paint you a cabin stool as a surprise wedding present. What colour do you want the f...king thing?"

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DoorPanel01a.jpg

 

I cannot but agree that Ron ( one of my best friends ) is now uniquely placed in our boat painting world. He is the last remaining painter whose professional family tree goes back into the heyday of working boat yards. WORKING BOAT yards - not working BOATYARDS! I, spent 30 years or more painting , and learning, in boatyards where work is done and Meg , my ex-apprentice ( and now a very competent professional working in a traditional vein ) did all her learning in just such a yard. Neither of us is Ron nor could we ever hope to be - he is the last link with Nurser and those who came before him and I am hugely grateful for all the things he has told me about the nature of yard work before the leisure boom changed things so dramatically. There are, however , still a number of painters, not many right enough, who would have been well accepted by their peers in the old days and by the working boat families - so we should be thankful for small mercies. Long may Uncle Ron reign - or perhaps RAIN may be more appropriate after his recent rather soggy sojourn in the glen with us.

I have one of his cabin stools. It was a gift. He rang me before Zita and I got married saying "Yvonne tells me I`ve got to paint you a cabin stool as a surprise wedding present. What colour do you want the f...king thing?"

 

 

Since painting those two panels, Ron has re-decorated our Cratch Deck Board wings. Not a very good photo, unfortunately, as the lens was covered in dust at the time. :-

 

FlecknoeFields015.jpg

 

Currently he has a Cabin stool and ticket drawer in his workshop for decoration.

Edited by David Schweizer
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  • 2 weeks later...

Probably Dennis Clarke, also a Frank Nurser trained painter.

There,s another as well - somewhat unsung - but a damn fine painter at Barlows possibly tutored by Nurser but certainly by his successor as foreman/painter George Crowshaw. Name was Barry something,Im getting forgetful in my dotage, but it could well have been Baker. Ended up as a wagon driver and was still alive , if not painting , in 1996 as was Crowshaw himself. Crowshaw would have been a great addition to Tonys book but was not remotely interested in being involved. Boat decoration didnt begin and end in Braunston despite what so many people think . George Baxter was still alive in the mid 90s in Tamworth as were at least two very genuine painters on the Leeds to Liverpool etc etc. Modern enthusiasts, however expert, must remember that these guys , Ron included, were never on some sort of pilgrimage - they were just doing a job as far as they were concerned. Happily a number of them were bloody good at it. With the occasional but rare genius for good measure - training , wherever it happens or happened, cannot instil raw talent. Some of them however were nowhere near as good as a handful of modern practioners. If you want good and very genuine traditional work its still around - although many modern boaters wouldnt know who I was talking about if I named at least one of the people doing it. Incidentally Dennis Clarkes brother Colin also painted although I dont think he was as good. Dave Moore, me oppo, has examples of both their work , plus Crowshaws and Baxters in our joint collection. If you are really interested I know he would be happy to show you them in Dudley. I have a number of anecdotes from Ron on the subject of who, in his opinion, was/is good and who wasnt/isnt - but, well, sleeping dogs and all that ............

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Since painting those two panels, Ron has re-decorated our Cratch Deck Board wings. Not a very good photo, unfortunately, as the lens was covered in dust at the time. :-

 

FlecknoeFields015.jpg

 

Currently he has a Cabin stool and ticket drawer in his workshop for decoration.

Very Tasty - and tasteful - as ever. He tells me the style , the spareness of it, is a result of his being taught at a time when canal trade was dying and paintwork had to be as quick and as cheap as possible - when paint could well cost more than labour. It is the mark of Rons instinctive eye and brush skill that such a mundane brief turns into such vibrant and exciting artwork. It doesnt mean other forms are wrong though - they may, if done with a proper spirit, - simply hark back to more prosperous times. Perhaps when judging decorative paintwork we should ask ourselves wether the working boat families would have approved. If the honest answer is "yes" ( found some goddamn punctuation on this keyboard at last ) then what we think becomes fairly irrelevant really.

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I will be seeing Ron tomorrow to collect a cabin stool and ticket drawer which he has been decorating for me. I will post some pictures when we get back.

 

Edited to add:- I had heard of all the painters you referred to, with the exception of Barry (Baker). If I remember, I will ask Ron about him.

Edited by David Schweizer
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Please give him my best - and tell him I came last in the World Stag Roaring Competition at Zitas wee hotel on Saturday night ! Got well refreshed though ! The stool will be a great pleasure for you. I think there is a picture of Barry Whatever working alongside Crowshaw in one of the better known books. Once more memory fails me. Can surely not be the drink.........

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Please give him my best - and tell him I came last in the World Stag Roaring Competition at Zitas wee hotel on Saturday night ! Got well refreshed though ! The stool will be a great pleasure for you. I think there is a picture of Barry Whatever working alongside Crowshaw in one of the better known books. Once more memory fails me. Can surely not be the drink.........

Do you mean Tony Lewery's book Flowers Afloat. There is a picture of George Crowshaw working with a lad taken in 1957, but he only looks about 18 and Frank Nurser died in 1952, so he was presumably tutored by George Crowshaw.

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Please give him my best - and tell him I came last in the World Stag Roaring Competition at Zitas wee hotel on Saturday night ! Got well refreshed though ! The stool will be a great pleasure for you. I think there is a picture of Barry Whatever working alongside Crowshaw in one of the better known books. Once more memory fails me. Can surely not be the drink.........

I saw Ron Yesterday and asked him about Barry, but he could not remember his surname either. He did remember that he arrived at Barlows with George Crowshaw, and that he was trained by George, not Frank Nurser. He also said tha he had died, and form the way he said it some while ago. I also gave him your news about the Stag Roaring Contest, he did not seem impressed!!

 

I collected the cabin Stool and ticket box, a couple of pictures. Very Pretty! :-

 

MyStool08.jpg

 

TicketDrawer02a.jpg

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