We were recently contacted by Peter Adams, now living and working in New South Wales. Peter, who exhibited at Bays in the swinging 60's, shares below some wonderful recollections of halcyon days. There is a link to Peter's fascinating website on the links page here.
"The attached snap was of my ‘pitch’ on the Bayswater Road, I think about 1965. I emigrated to Australia as a ‘ten pound tourist’ in March 1966. The white Ford Anglia van was mine and the right end of the photo was the end of my spot.
In those days the space was free and available on a first come first served basis. As nothing is free these days, I assume the space today is rented for the day? I usually had around 32 framed pictures – that was all I could stack in my van.
The pictures were rubbish, ‘Jackson Pollock’ style pictures, often signed with my name backwards (Retep Smada) to avoid embarrassment! They were painted on Masonite. They were all 2’ x 4’ in size, and usually titled after Miles Davis Jazz pieces. The best that could be said about them was that they were colourful and complemented peoples' decor. They sold like hot cakes. The least I sold were 2 (on Boxing Day 1965, and it was snowing). On my best day I sold 28 works.
This caused a bit of jealousy amongst the other artists, who would occasionally go into the park and try to poke them off the fence with broom handles! Seems funny now, and all is forgiven! I had a sales pitch that went something like this. I said that Retep Smada was Polish and I was the son of a Count. I used to sit on the bonnet of my van and play (very bad) guitar.
I guess I was lucky, because I sold a number of paintings to well known people. Paul McCartney bought two – I was so naive at the time that I didn’t know who he was, Those were the days he was dating Jane Asher who was with him at the time. I kept his cheque for a while, but eventually banked it!
On another occasion this bloke asked me if I would accept a cheque for two paintings. I had been done a couple of times and asked him for identification. He pulled something out of his pocket with ‘The Marchioness of Tavistock’ printed on it – I assumed it was the name of a pub. He left the two paintings leaning against a lamppost and said he’d be back to pick them up. A short while later a black Bentley pulled up, a chauffeur got out wearing white gloves. He looked me up and down like I had crawled out from under a rock, and placed the paintings in the boot of the Bentley and drove off. It turned out this was the son of the Duke of Bedford and his girlfriend at the time – Henrietta Tiarks.
Benny Hill also paid for a painting saying he would come back for it. But I don’t think he ever collected it. Another regular buyer bought paintings 10 at a time. I can’t recall his name, but he was something to do with a mental hospital in the USA, and he shipped them overseas. Not sure if that was a comment about the paintings, or him, or me! I have often wondered what they did with the works. Probably blocking up gaps in a chicken coop somewhere!
Another regular visitor was Spike Milligan in his Austin Seven. He and two huge dogs filled this car as he slowly drove up Bayswater Road looking at the paintings. He would drive with the roof open, standing up like a tank commander. One day I am told he had cut the roof off and converted the Austin into a convertible – although I didn’t see this myself!
My spot on the Bayswater Road was next to a young lass called Cheryl, who did caricature paintings of people. I lost track of her after I sailed to Australia. I was briefly engaged to her.