Patrick writes ...
STAND ASIDE Aardman Animations!
- or it could have been, if the stars had been in my favour, when I was trying to decide what to do when I left school. Honestly, I didn’t really know. In those days, there were ‘jobs’ not careers. The idea of doing something which interested you, like scene painting, driving a moon buggy or being a chocolate taster, were not an option.
Being good at something was useful, I was good at ‘this and that’, and art especially. Then I was good at sums, which had been elevated to maths in later years. I could have been a weatherman, as I was in charge of the schools weather station. It was sited in the middle of the playing field and I took readings and prepared reports and graphs for the school notice board. It all ended in disaster; One day, the parks department grass cutting tractor, got too close to the pole supporting the equipment - and demolished it!
[Picture above - one of Patrick's puppets in making]
Today, questions would have been asked in the House, back then, it was passed off as an accident. The Head who was also the science master, had little inclination to replace it. He probably thought, that I was getting ideas above my (weather) station. So one chapter ended and another one began. I was ‘good’ at art, so I ended up at Nuneaton School of Art studying, well, art. A relation asked me:
Where will you find a job as an artist in Nuneaton?
At least, the tutors were more encouraging at the art school, which in those days was accommodated at Nuneaton’s Museum. The head, a Mr Hellawell, ARCA, no less, was also a more inspirational character. Yet, he left one aspect of his chequered life out. It was only a couple of years ago, I discovered something more about him. I remember when he had interviewed me many years ago. He looked at my drawings, and asked me if I had done anything else creative. I must have muttered something about making puppets when I was about ten. ‘What sort of puppets’? I recall him querying. He showed a hint of interest, when I told him that I’d made some marionettes. I quickly skirted round the fact that my audience had been the top class at the junior school, and my younger sister’s brownie pack. Mr Hellawell just nodded his head and said: ’interesting’.
My art career began and six long years later, I became an accredited designer, earning a bit more than a crust, in an interesting career, designing furniture. Many years later, Christine and I visited The Children’s Toy Museum in Sudbury Hall. There was an exhibition of marionettes which caught my eye. They had been made by the one and the same Edward Hellawell. One poster, ‘Porridge to Puppetry’ tells another story. Edward Hellawell was a conscientious objector in WW2 and served six months for his belief. However, he had designed and made 100 marionettes during the period 1935 to 1952, when he took up the post of the head of the Nuneaton Art School. He had formed ‘The Lilliput Theatre Company’ and first performed his version of ‘Christmas Carol’ in the late 1940’s. If I had been a bit more forthcoming about my interest in puppetry at that interview I might have got to Wallace and Gromit before Nick Park.
I have not forgotten my interest in puppets and now stop frame animation. During these dark days, I have started to make some animation puppets, from wire, plasticine and odd bits of fabric. It is a long job, very relaxing and time consuming. If this lockdown is going to continue until 2024, I may have time to make a thirty-second animation. I will keep you updated. Edward Hellawell’s marionettes are now part of the National Trust collection. - Patrick
[Pictures above - [puppets by Hellawell]