I recently caught up with the hugely talented artist Steve Lilly to ask him about his wonderful art work. Steve creates wonderful tributes to some of our favourite comedy heroes - including of course, the Carry On team.
- First
of all what made you want to become an artist?
My
first recollection of being “struck by art” came at junior
school. A couple of students were asked to create a mural of a steam
train rolling through the countryside on the classroom wall. I
thoroughly enjoyed the task which lasted weeks and excused me from
endless tedious lessons and to cap it all I was rewarded with a book
voucher…thanks Miss Williams.
-
You are obviously a lover of British comedy - what made you decide to
focus on this as a subject?
I
put a flyer on the notice board while at my “day job” stating
that I worked to commission and promptly received my first paid job,
a lady in one of the offices wanted a portrait of her horse. When the
work was finished she made sure it was passed round the building. I
was then commissioned to create a “café warming present” by a
work colleague who’s friends were opening a café in Derbyshire, it
was originally named Godfrey’s, the new proprietors being big Dad’s
Army fans decided they wanted to keep the name. I was commissioned to
create a large group portrait of the Dad’s Army cast with Godfrey
as the centre of attention and was given a free artistic rein. I
enjoyed the job so much I wanted to do another for myself and with
the support of a local gallery went to work on Dad’s Army mkII.
Luckily for me the gallery loved the work and we agreed to do a
limited edition print run from the original artwork from these
beginnings the series evolved.
-
I have blogged about your Carry On art work - can you tell me
more about them?
There
is not that much to say really, they are a labour of love with each
'Comedy Classic' portrait taking around four or five months to
complete. Selling them is obviously a big bonus but they can be
really hard to let go of! The Carry On artwork is actually a second
take on the subject: It must have been around 3 o’clock in the
morning, I had finished 11 of the 12 characters and was well into
Barbara Windsor, the 12th and final character, I was that tired I
accidentally spilt vodka and lime on her. I was devastated and ended
up destroying it, but as they say “every cloud has a silver lining”
Carry On was revisited a couple of years later and I think I did a
much better job of it
-
I notice from your website that you are an Artist in Residence - what
does that involve?
I'm
Artist In Residence with the Dad's Army Museum and On The Buses Fan
Club. This just basically means they have 'adopted' me as their
artist. I'll attend events a couple of times a year and I've also had
the good fortune and honour of creating a number of exclusive pieces
of artwork for the Dad's Army Museum to be reproduced onto their
official merchandise.
-
Why do you think the Carry Ons are still so popular after all these
years?
Carry
On is iconic and a big part of British cinema history. Some of the
one liners are a little dated as you would expect but generally the
films are still great fun and well worth a watch. I think they are
in-grained into our culture.
-
As an artist, why do you think the original Carry On poster art was
so successful?
I
love poster art and lobby cards especially when they are painted or
illustrated. The artwork on most of the Carry On posters is executed
really well. The posters appeal not just to film lovers and
collectors but also to art lovers. My personal favourite is Carry On
Spying , the version that is totally illustrated.
-
Do you have any more projects in the pipeline? Can you tell me
anything about them?
I'm
always working on something or other. At present I have a couple of
private commissions on the drawing board: A large Nottingham Forest
portrait and the Lord Mayor of Walmington-On-Sea (from the new Dad's
Army film). I am also on the dvd stage of Porridge: looking for
expressions and character inter-actions....and having a good laugh in
the process!
-
I've heard you attend fan conventions and memorabilia shows. Do you
enjoy going along to these events and will you be attending any more
in the future?
I
absolutely love attending these events. I get to meet some fantastic
characters (celebs and fans) and I've made some great friends over
the years. In June I attended an On The Buses/Man About The House
event at Elstree Studios, this Friday (15th) I'm off to the Laurel
and Hardy Museum in Ulverston (birth place of Stan Laurel) for the
International Son's of the Desert Convention....then in August its
Ramsey with the Dad's Army Museum for a 1940s weekend....brilliant.
-
Who is your favourite Carry On star and why?
There
are just too many great actors to choose from. They all work so well
together and 'bounce off each other' great credit to the script
writing here. If pushed to make a choice I think I would say either
Charles Hawtrey or Joan Sims as they both epitomise Carry On and
appeared in so many of the films.
-
Which comedy star do you enjoy drawing the most?
I
enjoy drawing them all, that's what makes my job so enjoyable. I just
love the whole process: from watching hours and hours of great comedy
footage to making marks on the paper to adding the final touches. I
really strive to capture the expressions and mannerisms that are so
characteristic of the great comedians I am trying to portray. I’m
not just looking for a likeness but an essence unique to each
character that will bring them to life on the paper. I think I owe
these fantastic actors something for all the fun and laughter they
have brought to me over the years.
-
Finally, which is your favourite Carry On film in the series and why?
Carry
On Screaming, it was my favourite as a kid. At the time I was really
into my Universal and Hammer horror films. Screaming was just so
funny and it had monsters too! I still love it today and how hot was
Fenella Fielding? (pardon the pun).
Thanks again to Steve for taking the time to answer my questions. You can find out more about Steve's work by visiting his website
You can also follow Steve on Twitter
