June 2 1944
Evening. Painted a little panel of some houses in Dovehouse Street, very exciting in colour – the evening sun on them. I am quite ridiculously pleased about this sketch because I was able do it after a day’s work at the school.
June 3 1944
Painted the panel of Upper Cheyne Row, 14″ x 10″, gentle sunlight. Prepared four more panels.
June 10 1944
Went to the Allied Circus at Wimbledon- two shows- made a drawing and painted a panel. Also did a drawing there last Wednesday, and last Monday a drawing of Hanna at 278 Kings Road.
June 11 1944
Repainted the head and made a shocking mess of it. Wiped it all out again. A blonde and I don’t like ’em *
* This statement shouldn’t be taken too seriously as Elizabeth was blonde. It seems Resi Weltlinger was as well. Editor
June 17 1944
Raids have started again. Both last night (on firewatch) and the night before I only had an hour or so of sleep. This time we were attacked with so-called pilotless planes. I saw one not long after midnight. It rushed over the building with a great noise from its engine or whatever it is propels the beastly thing, flying low. It was held in a searchlight beam and from the machine’s tail flew huge red sparks. Crimson tracer bullets raced after it, and golden shell bursts were all around, on either side of the searchlight, in the purple sky.
Today I feel very tired, and not really up to work, and all I have done is a watercolour sketch from one of the one of the drawings I did at the circus last week.
June 18 1944
These infernal things* go flying over at intervals all day. Yesterday, last night and again today.Did no work. Saw the R.B.A. Exhibition, mostly frightful. Two good drawings of Luard‘s.
* The V-1 flying bombs the Germans started launching against London in June 1944. Editor
June 20 1944
An ill wind – Raids and half-term, so the school is shut for three and a half days.
Painted the figures by the sea. I never know whether what I do these days is good or bad.
Only one raid so far.
Worked on an Indian red ground. Palette – white, Indian red, raw sienna, ultramarine, cobalt. The red ground very nice to paint on after such a long while.
June 21 1944
Took a painting to the Leicester Gallery for the next show, this makes three they have to choose from.
Went out sketching. Scraped it out when I got back.
June 22 1944
Sketched in Hyde Park (oils – 14″ x 10″). Just tried to get the spirit of the scene. Raids continue. What a difference between the work done in the studio and a sketch painted out of doors. The thing I have just done looks almost out of place.
Afternoon: made a drawing – very rough – of Cheyne Row. I must get a painting started for this. I have been meaning to do it for years. It is most complicated. Must be painted in sunlight.
June 23 1944
Started a canvas, 20″ x 16″ of Cheyne Row. Worked morning and afternoon at the drawing. It must be painted when the shadows fall right across the road. Between 3 and 6.
June 24 1944
Painted a 14″ x 10″ panel of Old Church Street. The light was quite wrong for going on with Cheyne Row. Slight as it is I am very tempted to leave it, it has the mood, and if I repaint it I will only add facts which are really of no importance. I think there will be a thunder storm. I have a frightful headache and planes are making a horrible noise. It has gone on for two hours or more and still goes on.
June 30 1944
Made a drawing of Cheyne Row, looking north.
Raids continue. About 6.15 a bomb swished right over the studio and shook the place badly. I went to the window in the passage and saw a huge mass of smoke drifting away over Glebe Place; but the bomb must have fallen on the Battersea side, for I immediately went out and walked as far as the Embankment, but could see nothing.
Seven o’clock ‘All Clear’ has just gone.
From The OBSERVER 12.12.43
July 1 1944
Started drawing of Oakley Street. Bombs continue to fall at intervals. About eight so far, 5.45pm. Last night was pretty fierce. The weather is still as bad as it could be – low cloud and rain.
July 2 1944
Did a s much as I thought was necessary to the drawing of Oakley Street. This makes seven good ones of Chelsea. I want at least twenty-five. There are two of Church Street I must do and even the Chelsea Palace looks lovely on the right evening, also the King’s Road from outside the Six Bells, looking west towards a huge fantastic tree. This too only becomes significant in an evening light.
Raids continue. All last night, at intervals, and most of the morning.
July 4 1944
Thanks to the raids I am getting a lot of free time from the school. Was able to get away by 11 this morning. Did a drawing of Dovehouse Street (Arthur Street). Gave me a bit of trouble but I got it in the end. This makes eight. Must do some drawings in Pimlico. Magnificent, decayed streets are there, wide and beautifully proportioned; now literally falling to pieces, plaster flaking off, making fantastic façades.
July 6 1944
Spent the morning on the Common sketching. Saw Lionel Ellis go by with three young girls, all on horseback. One hour’s work at the school in the afternoon.
Evening, Reg Reynold’s came. Says he can’t work. Fine sunny day and few bombs. Two very close yesterday. Private view (yesterday) Leicester Gallery, almost deserted – and I was hoping to sell some of my pictures. I like Reynolds.
Letter this morning from Celia. Could she come to see me? Had wanted to for a long time and hadn’t liked to ask.! Silly girl. I replied Sunday, more out of curiosity than anything else. There is never any way back.
July 8 1944
Cycled to Pimlico intending to draw one of the streets I saw some weeks ago with Hanna. But they were badly knocked about by blasts from recent raids. They depressed me. Came home and worked at a drawing of a bill poster high up on a ladder, silhouetted against the sky. This was something I had seen yesterday as I walked down Manresa Road, and made a scribble of.
July 9 1944
Afternoon, worked pretty hard at a drawing. Evening, Celia came. It is all very curious. She should have come before. I think it is too late. I made no arrangement to see her again, but I said she was to let me know if she wanted to see me.
July 12 1944
Painted a nice little sketch of the river. Three or four bombs fell, none of these very near.
Peter Stone bought a drawing of Jeanette and I am selling a watercolour of a dancer to a friend of Beadles. Then there is the street I started last Sunday, if it is approved. The three will make fifteen pounds – all framed and mounted. Really far too cheap. I must get at least another twenty five pounds soon If I am to go away, give Marion some extra money and buy some canvas.
July 14 1944
Worked at the 20″ x 16″ canvas of Cheyne Row and improved it, I think. School closed yesterday, until Sept. 8th. Excellent.
July 15 1944
Went on with the drawing of the street. Three bombs, and I saw the smoke from one of them.
July 16 1944
Still drawing the street.
July 17 1944
Bought 2 canvases and 3 canvas boards. £1! Prepared them grey. Turpentine. Made a little alteration to the drawing.
Roots* offered to buy ten little panels at ten shillings each. A knock out price indeed, but I have looked out fourteen for him to choose from, and cleaned and varnished them all. He will certainly have to take at least ten if he gets them so cheaply.
* Roots may possibly be the little-known British artist, Fred W. Roots, who was active from 1947–1961 according to his profile on the ArtUK website here. Editor
That will make £20. I still need at very least twenty more – even then it will be difficult to last out until September.
The lovely John Lewis Brown of a woman on horseback is at the Leicester Gallery. They are asking two hundred pounds for it. I could have had it for twenty five, but then I would not have wanted to sell it again.
July 18 1944
Made a drawing of Dovehouse Street (Arthur Street). Rather wild but not bad. Something there.
July 19 1944
Another drawing of the same street – not a good one but just right for tracing onto a panel.
July 20 1944
Lots of flying bombs last night. Slept badly and did not feel much like work today.
Took the first three chapters of Greaves to Faber. Prepared the panel for tomorrow, if sunny. Did a little work on a drawing. Also went to M.O.I and had my sketching permit renewed, after submitting recent sketches. What a solemn farce they make of it.
Saw dear Hanna off at Euston.
July 22 1944
Started a drawing of Cheyne Row.
July 23 1944
Painted an 18″ x 14″ sketch of a view of the King’s Road. It has faults but it is exciting and I will let it stand. Really, I care less and less for facts in a painting, it is the feeling that matters. With a drawing it is different, facts matter, particularly if the drawing is a study for a painting, but God help you if you only get facts on your canvas when you come to use the drawing.
Now I have used the two canvases I bought, I must sell another painting or something and buy some more canvases. I would like fifty. I still have a number of panels.
July 24 1944
Worked at the small painting of Dovehouse Street.
Afternoon, went on with drawing of Cheyne Row.
July 25 1944
Completed painting of Dovehouse Street. Quite successful. Worked in the drawing of Cheyne Row, in the afternoon. This still wants a lot more doing to it.
July 26 1944
Started another painting of Dovehouse Street – 14″ x 10″.
July 27 1944
Worked on a drawing of Cheyne Row.
July 28 1944
Went on with the painting of Dovehouse Street. I think it will do now.
‘Is that my ‘ouse, number 41 you are painting?’
‘Yes.’
‘If I’d known I’d ‘ave put up clean curtains.’
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Oakley Street can be traced from my drawing on to a panel, and painted in an evening light, when the sky is lower in tone than the stucco houses that come about halfway down the street on the left-hand side.
July 29 1944
Started the 14″ x 10″ panel of Oakley Street. This is going to be a difficult job on such a small scale. It must be painted with an evening light and a good sky.
July 30 1944
Finished drawing in Oakley Street, with coloured turpentine. Must wait now for just the right evening to paint it.
July 31 1944
Made another careful drawing of Cheyne Row, with particular attention to the trees. I hope to work out a painting of this subject about 30″ x 22″. Must now paint a good sketch for the colour.
August 1 1944
Finished drawing 16″ x 12″ canvas panel of Cheyne Row. I want to paint this in a grey light or very weak sunlight.
August 2 1944
Painted the 16″ x 12″ of Cheyne Row. Started with a grey light and very soon the sun came out. It was so lovely I gave up my idea of a grey scheme and went for the sunlight. Perhaps I will do another on a grey day.
August 3 1944
Painting of Oakley Street in an evening light. Enjoyed painting it. Looked for more streets to paint in the morning. First street at the back of The Shuckburgh Arms looks very exciting. There are others round about Walton Street. All look best in sunshine.
There is no traffic in the streets I have painted and this is true in these days of petrol restrictions, nor have horses taken the place of cars to any extent, streets are often quite empty and I like them so, there is nothing to interfere with the sweep of the perspective and the lines of the kerbstone. I never saw the perfect proportion of Oakley Street before the war. You could not see it for the buses, vans and cars.
August 4 1944
Drawing of Cheyne Row, looking north. I don’t know about painting this, it might be better in the morning. Must have a look.
August 6 1944
Worked on another drawing of Cheyne Row which I started yesterday, almost from the same viewpoint as the first one. Must paint an oil of the when the sun is out – about 4.30 , 2.30 GMT.
Curse this stupid altering of the clock.
August 7 1944
Went on with yesterday’s drawing. A perfect day, sunshine, deep blue sky. Very few flying bombs.
August 8 1944
Painted 14 x 10 canvas panel of Cheyne Row. The two drawings were a good help.
August 9 1944
Cycled to Wimbledon Common and painted a sketch there.
August 11 1944
Did no work yesterday. Went to Leicester Gallery show, nothing of mine sold. Saw Lillian, who showed me dozens of photographs of drawings and paintings by Degas. He is truly something, a great master. Everything he touched had quality, and I am amazed at the amount of work he accomplished. Three or four lifetimes seems hardly enough. She told me what I had hoped, that she was going to open a gallery. Perhaps she will be able to sell my work and everything will come right, after all. If only I could live by painting, and perhaps just a little teaching – to pay the rent, say, not more than a couple of days a week. I must work harder.
Today I did another pen and wash study of Cheyne Row, chiefly for the lighting, proportion of figures and general effect. I should have enough now to paint the picture. Four drawings and two oil sketches for the colour.
Exactly four weeks of holiday. Let’s see what I have done. 8 oils, all direct paintings, the largest 18″ x 14″. At least 6 drawings, quite presentable ones, also a little work on a 20″ x 16″. Not bad, but not enough.
August 12 1944
Started a drawing which I will finish next week, and probably use for a painting.
August 14 1944
Did a good deal of work on the drawing I started last Saturday – I worked on it yesterday as well. Sketched this morning, not very good, but the subject is worth another try.
August 16 1944
Started a drawing of houses in the King’s Road yesterday and went on with it this morning. In the afternoon painted the same houses from Glebe Place. A very successful sketch, more subtle in colour than some I have done recently.
August 17 1944
Spent the morning at the drawing. Traced it and transferred it to a 14 x 10 canvas panel ready to paint, tomorrow, I hope, if it is fine.
August 18 1944
Painted the 14 x10 today. Perhaps not quite as good as the one I did yesterday afternoon, but exciting. I have seen these houses every day for more than ten years – and I have only just seen them.