THERE are many glorious views of Bridgnorth and Shropshire that capture the imagination of the artistic eye. Even those of us who have no artistic talent can still take a few seconds out of the day to simply gaze and take in the beauty this town and many other places that span the whole county.
But imagine being able to capture such extraordinary scenes on a canvas or a wall, using nothing more than a paintbrush and raw talent.
One such artist who has been plying his trade in such a way, using paint professionally to create special effects for homes and businesses for the past three decades, is local man David Craythorne.
Evidence of his murals can be seen at the Bell and Talbot, the White Lion and the Old Castle in Bridgnorth; the Robin Hood and the Grove Inn (The Fat Frog) in Ironbridge, and more recently the Wheatsheaf in Shifnal. He has also painted landscapes, portraits and scenic work.
David says he has gained a wide range of skills in all mediums and scale, from theatrical backdrops down to miniature landscapes and portraiture.
“Over the years I have been commissioned to paint many town and market scenes, landscapes and portraits,” he said.
“I have completed a painting of a view from over the Long Mynd, which is 4ft by 3ft.
“What I tend to do is start painting by actually looking at the view, out in the open, but then I have to finish the rest of the work from inside due to the English weather. The painting is then worked on in the studio, using reference materials.
“For the painting of the Long Mynd I went back up to look at the view again on three or four more occasions.
“The next picture I completed was looking north across Ludlow, at the Clee Hills, and for this picture I took photos of people and their activities, which I incorporated into the painting.
“That took a while because I had to take in the intricacies of the buildings, which form a big part of the view.”
David says that for such paintings he uses a pencil to mark out the shapes and the structure of the painting or drawing, which can takes about five minutes.
He then paints a base coat, or under coat, and then works on certain areas in blocks, before beginning to incorporate colour into his work.
The painting is then left for a couple of days to dry, before he works on the depth of the painting – again something he tends to get right first time after years of experience.
“When painting depth you always start with the parts that are furthest away and then work your way forward to the images in the foreground. This means you work from the top of the painting down, going across in bands, which is handy as it means the wet paint is at the top.
“Photographs are often used as a drawing medium and can be opportunistic, meaning if you catch something on camera it can later be used in the finished painting.”
David, who was born at RAF Cosford and now lives in St Leonard’s Close, says that his murals have always been a good way to add images of local people to his work – such as painting a pub regular on the wall of the pub itself.
One of his watercolours that really catches the eye is a view of Bridgnorth, from Low Town, looking up at the bridge and across the River Severn, which also shows how important opportunism can be in art.
“This was commissioned for a couple from London, who got to know me through meetings in a pub. The picture they wanted was of the River Severn, when there just happened to be some gypsies washing their horses in the river at the time, which was a complete one-off. I took a picture and the painting also shows my daughter Emily and our dog Molly.”
Other work David has had commissioned includes a painting of two modern trees for a local landscape gardener, who wanted their office decorated with items that they sold.
He painted and decorated an old cabinet for a Broseley builder who owned a lot of properties and also completely built from scratch an old fashioned telephone box for the Lion Hotel, Broseley.
“They bought a telephone box for people to use when they were making calls from the pub, so they would have to go inside the telephone box itself, but it was too big for the premises.
“My finished article was a slightly smaller scale made from beech wood, the telephone sign was made from opaque perspex and I made the emblems by molding plastacine over real emblems, which I then used as a template.”
But perhaps one of his finest achievements is a mural of a rollercoaster, in the games room of the Hare and Hounds pub, on the outskirts of Uttoxetter – a place where he has painted virtually every wall.
“Because it’s next to Alton Towers I was given a free invite to the attraction and took pictures along the way.
“The mural depicts the theme park and the setting. I also did a mural of the JCB plant, which is just down the road.
“I always found it amusing to see Lady Bamford chairing meetings in the pub with a mural of the whole JCB plant behind her, which I had painted.”
Another piece of David’s art is a picture of a Broseley bowling green, which hangs in Broseley Social Club, an area of the district he lived in for four or five years.
In the same social club, on the main walls, three 10ft by 5ft murals stand proudly, depicting Broseley High Street in 1901.
“I received a lot of good feedback for that one, people said it livened the place up, particularly the ballroom dancers who spend a lot of time in there.”
David is currently working more landscapes of the Shropshire Hills, which will include six 4ft by 3ft canvases in oil paint, plus smaller works in oils and water colours.
These are to be exhibited for sale at St Leonard’s Church, Bridgnorth, from April 9 until April 25, with the kind permission from the Churches Conservation Trust. David can be contacted on 07890285274.