I was born William Edward Smith in the back bedroom of 229 Windmillhill Street, Motherwell, Lanarkshire on the 4th of March 1948. From my infancy onward I spent most of the summer holidays during my formative years in Motherwell. The rest of the time I spent in the bustling metropolis of London. Every year in the holidays I journeyed to and from Scotland by rail. This was the age of steam and what I saw left a lasting impression on me.
Education
I enjoyed primary school in Penge. The teachers were kind but firm. I was keen on history and art. My main memories were seeing the films Great Expectations and All Quiet on the Western Front. They both left a lasting impression on me. I was also struck by the film A Night to Remember, a harrowing account of the Titanic disaster.
Secondary school was hell for me. I wanted to learn, and did so but was bullied. My refuge was the Art Department run by Owen Frampton, a rugged individualist who encouraged my efforts at painting and drawing. By the sixth year I was tall enough and angry enough to dispatch the bullies and I did! Around this time I had a chat with one David Jones in the art room, now better known as David Bowie. So I left school and went to art school.
Art School
I loved Art school so much I stayed for eight years.
I was at Croydon for two years. The tutors included Bridget Riley and Barry Fantoni but the people that made an impression on me were George Fairlie and Alfred Janes. Contemporary students included Shaun Scully and Malcolm McClaren. Then on to Goldsmiths where I met Rachel who later became my wife. I enjoyed it there.
My external painting assessor was Howard Hodgkin who wrote some kind things on my assessment. I got a first in painting and art history. After a brief sojourn as a technician on the ATC course at Goldsmiths I got in to the painting School at the Royal College of Art. My time there was just brilliant. From 1971 to 1974 I painted away with my fellow students Linda Sutton, Joyce Cairns, Alan Westbury and Douglas Kirk. My tutors were great fun including David Tyndall, Peter Blake, Carel Weight, Ruskin Spear and a hilarious tutorial with Patrick Proctor. I also had some good laughs with Sandra Blow and Jean Bratby.