| Description | Women working at a car wash under the railway arches in Three Colt Street, Limehouse. Based on colour photographs, see P/LYD/2/1.
Tom Lyddon reflects: 'In the late 1980's I began to be serious about learning to paint. I found that the artist John Copnall gave painting lessons locally in the artists colony in the former Spratts dog biscuit factory.
I enrolled on Lessons once a week and having the use of his studio could paint on a larger scale.
At this time I drove a licensed black cab which gave me the freedom to follow my artistic interests.
Black cabs need to be kept clean so I often used the car wash under the railway arches in Three Colt Street, Limehouse. This car wash was mainly staffed by women, who I believe were of east European origin.
Waiting in line for my turn gave me the opportunity to photograph them at work which I used to compose the painting.
The painting later entered and exhibited in the Whitechapel Open at the Whitechapel Art Gallery.'
Label on back: exhibited in Whitechapel Open Exhibition, Whitechapel Art Gallery, 1988. Entered as 'Paved with Gold'.
Oil/acrylic
Height: 72cm. Width: 102cm, including frame. |