L.S.A. The lost Golly Book.

This "page" will hang around a "Golly" book that was stolen off me a couple of years ago. That particular book was very centered around fun and work that I produced with London Surrey Arts in various contexts from separate people to the group as a whole with various associates.

Covering over ten years of work indulged in by:

Tony Wright

Bob Meecham on the right

John Hosking

Martin Humphries

With commitment and contribution from:

Sue McLeod,

Colin Browne,

Anne Armstrong,

Sinc Bell

Terry Johnstone,

Richard Batt

https://www.facebook.com/martin.humphries.161/photos_albums#!/media/set/?set=a.10150344545146424.399550.707526423&type=3

I guess that L.S.A.principles were formulated between Julian Pefanis and Tony Wright (two Americans avoiding the late Vietnam draft) and I. Whilst at Epsom art college in the early 70's

L.S.A. started to grow into it's main format after leaving college mainly as a way of keeping contact, but also as a way of keeping the ball up in the air.

 

I met Bob Meecham working in an aluminium foundry. 

Goblins Hot Ding Time

Certainly fitting into the " possible worst job in my life" category.

On leaving Art College in 1974, I felt that I ought to get a taste of real life, after spending the summer as a postman, then a fair period hitching around the south of France with Barbara Young. I decided to take on the real world. Bob Meecham and I worked in a vacuum cleaner factory, working in the aluminium foundry. Smelting. I was alright for the first three hours each day. I could think about things - take my mind off the imminent dangers, unfortunately abject empty boredom took over.
There was a tannoy system that went off bong bong bong in a crescending scale of notes. Bob and I decided to take it in 15 minute shifts to note down each and every message; it kept us in touch with another world. Our foreman who should have been called Tommy, came over to me one day and quietly said "I don't know what you are up to but for Christs sake don't get caught".

I bumped into Richard Butler in the canteen a couple of days after he had been there. Another finished at art college enforced laborer. “When I came in for the interview, they asked me what I wanted to do. < Something menial > I replied. (Might as well make it easy for myself) Little did I know what I was setting myself up for".

Phil Gray worked there as well, in a much more advanced capacity - actually sticking the machines together. Him and his mates used to call the "hoovers" - well, you have to annoy the management, don't you?

And then it really kicked off when Tony came back from the states after having been deported. We were holding meetings at my place in Bromley and also at John Hosking's in Folkestone. It all carried on until I moved to Cardiff and subsequently went to India with my wife Anne.

I bought a leather-bound note book, about the size of a family bible in Calcutta in December 81. I started using it as a kind of "no limits" art diary involving quite a few people, but basically centering around the L.S.A. format.
This diary carried on for quite a while and could almost be seen to cover the main thrust of what we were up to - especially in the 80's.

Unfortunately, the diary and I parted company a couple of years ago, which for me was a little heart breaking.
Earlier this year I decided to jot down in a notebook memories as they surfaced. - So I believe what has emerged is a summery of generally a much wider view of what happened or was covered under the L.S.A. umbrella.
I aim here to date the pages chronologically and put them into order on this blog. Having this as a framework I hope to further embellish with surviving paintings, photos, etc.
11/11/2012

 A poem, between night and day, with words from Bob Tony John Sue and I. Which was also recorded at the time.

The Golly Book started in Calcutta in December 1981 in a Salvation Army hostel. I actually ended up producing a show in Cardiff with Marega Palser in 1988 with the title "for a colour fool"

From a week long meeting at Shipping Hill May 1982,
coinciding with a self portrait we were making of the four of us.

Shipping Hill following a trip to Amroth. (Ice blue meanies)
A sad comment really

  

 

Breakfast at Shipping Hill

  

 

I have been meaning to revisit this for a long time.
It started at a London Surrey Arts meeting in Pembrokeshire in 1981.
A few original images have disappeared and by and large the definition in day to day terms becomes blurred.
My intention is to get them out - nail them down as it were and adjust later.

John at Shipping Hill, Note the bottles.

 GENESIS

I found that for the moment - the child's version is easier to follow!

 

God takes a nap

We grew to dislike "London Surrey Arts" because of it's pretentious nature and the fact that three of us weren't living in Surrey anymore.

And started to label ourselves L.S.A.

There is a sadly missed photo of John Hosking and I in Folkestone some time in 82 where we both dressed up and posed with very serious expression. The quote came from my father who who used to join in on occasion when we were in Pembrokeshire.

Shipping Hill, before "A Journey in Progress"



words by Bob Meecham

Post joke in Folkestone 82