This painting was derived from a drawing of 1975 based on Manchester which was exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition of 1976. In many ways this was a tribute to L S Lowry and it was fitting that Lowry exhibited posthumously at this show.
My old painting Professor, Carel Weight had been working on the catalogue for Lowry’s retrospective when Lowry died. Carel told me some fascinating stories about the great man. I’d toured the locomotive depots of Manchester when I was about twelve years old when Manchester was still that grime covered city dominated by chimneys and cotton mills. This picture captures the scene handsomely. For much of the show the drawing had a red sold sticker on it, but this was a mistake and the drawing remained unsold. Hence I still own it, and created the painting from it.
