Like Father, Like Son
My dad had put it in to a frame and it looked great, definitely something for the wall in the ‘bar’ room, very kitsch with an amateur yet interested and focussed edge. There is no doubt that my artiness has come from my family and we all practised it at some point as a hobby. The similarity between my pops’ work and mine is probably because we both love detail and these types of images hold so many different parts. Its not the way that we execute the work but the thought process behind it that we like; the big scene, small characters lost in the drama and the unusual lines and textures. The cover art was originally drafted by Roger Dean who actually did 11 of the groups covers, this particular piece took him around 300 hours to complete. I know exactly how he must have felt after that as I have spent similar ‘killer’ hours doing pieces of equivalent intricacy.
Its great to look back at works of art, in this case it actually reminds me that my dad was once a young person (weird) .He’s still young at heart and he has not turned in to a grumpy old man yet. I don’t think this is likely as he has such a positive outlook on life which I admire and try to take with me whenever possible. It’s also funny to think of what a persons hopes and dreams would have been at that particular point. When I myself was 22 I was just giving up on the dream of becoming an international pop sensation. This did not happen!
On to Grandad Wolski, who is no longer with us, God rest his soul, but his insatiable jolliness and fun still is. Grandad used to love having us all over at his and Granny’s place. This was usually around Christmas and just about any other occasion going, just filling the place with laughter and people which I must say I love too. Who doesn’t?
A little off topic but it’s just my way of sparing a thought for those roots (even though they did lead to the early shaving of my head) but to thank them for giving me what I have now and the memories that I will always keep.
Thank you for my giddy jovial outlook on life and a desire to always try something new, also for giving me the opportunity to never regret anything that makes me smile. Its great people like this who help mould others (unintentionally) and also to look at the pint glass as overflowing with Premium high percentage lager.
A very happy and early fathers day to you pops and quoting your most famous and a favourite line of mine……..”try it…try…it!”
