| Description | An interview with Paul HILL, a married man with three daughters, one son, who is an Artist, born in Birmingham and now living in Birmingham. Paul HILL’s father was a Driver, born in England and his mother a Housewife born in England. In the interview, he talks about …
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I was born in 1959 in Nechells, Birmingham. It was the slum area of Birmingham at the time and I was one of 7 children.
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I went to St.Clement’s School… I used to get a lot of stick from the fact that I was one of the younger Hills…. Didn’t like school, except for drawing.
44” Spent a lot of time ‘tatting’ (ripping lead from the roofs). Gave money collected to parents. Spent all of his time on the streets. Dad was a mechanic, mum was a cleaner at Lucas. Enjoyed shows put on for families of employees. Had ambition to become a comedian.
2.24 Teachers. There was Miss Davis, she was a very big woman. She used to always, when I got into trouble, grab me by the head and press me into her chest…and the lavender, I could smell lavender, even today when I smell lavender I always think of Miss Davis’ chest! …She was always picking on me for what my brothers did mainly. Given the cane as punishment. Got into fights regularly with another gang. Some of the pupils from Nechells have done well for themselves, running their own businesses.
3.49 Parents did the best they could. Dad gave up going to art school to provide for the family.
4.09 We always had a holiday every year….we used to go down and visit my aunts and uncles….I dreaded coming back, I hated coming back to Nechells after being in all that gorgeous surroundings….My uncle, he owned a farm. He wasn’t my uncle, he was mother’s best friend. They never slept together, they were just good friends…Obviously she couldn’t afford to buy us clothes, so everything was knitted…
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Continues story.
35” They were good times but I always felt that…they say children don’t notice poverty, but I did. I knew having sampled Essex…that there were better things out there, and I thought that art would be a way of me getting out. That was the only thing I was good at, and sport.
1.06 When we left Nechells we were offered a house on Castle Vale, which we took because it was like a holiday camp. There was grass…there was an indoor bathroom… at Nechells we always had to go to the end of the yard….we had a metal bath which we all had to pile in and use the same water…
1.59 Relationships with brothers. Close to Terry, but died 5 years ago. Doesn’t have contact with other brothers now.
3.56 We never had to fear being broken into, because we had nothing to steal!
4.53 Relationship with neighbours. We lived next to a shop and Mrs Ship she was obviously one of the wealthiest….there were only one or two people who had cars in that area at the time….Mrs Ship was good because sometimes dad couldn’t afford to pay the electric and we had the electric cut off…she used to cook for us and provide us with a hot meal…There was a coloured family there, the Jeffersons…Annette was my first girlfriend…I used to get a good snog off her for a bag of marbles (laughs). There was a big family called the McCrackens…us Hills and the McCrackens had lots of fights…but there were no reprisals, you fought, you lost and tomorrow was a new day….As a community it was nice, living down there.
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3.14 Shifted snow to make pocket money. Café would pay with a breakfast rather than money.
3.55 Participated in St. Clement’s Church choir. Parents would meet up across the road from the church in the pub on Thursday nights.
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59” Loves to visit churches and look around.
2.09 Story about joining the church choir.
3.10 Grandfather was a bare-knuckle street fighter called Sharkey Hill.
3.45 Father was a sign-writer for Andy’s Coaches on Nechells Park Road.
4.07 Story about judo. Became Midland area champion.
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Continues to talk about judo.
1.26 Story about school headmaster. He didn’t accept me as me, but as part of a family. Lasting effect of such prejudice.
Girlfriends at school. Annette Trout, really nice. She lived in the posh area, St. Clements Road….in a semi-detached which is very posh. Her father was very reluctant for me to see her and kept telling me to go away, “we don’t want your kind round here”.
4.00 Feelings about his children having relationships.
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I think that a lot of the children there had talent, but because they were poor they weren’t allowed to show it….it’s a great loss to the arts….because of their environment they weren’t allowed to pursue it any further… Story about sister Michelle.
1.30 Broke leg at age 7. In traction at Children’s Hospital. Lost 2 years of schooling. Spent time alone drawing.
2.34 I disliked the nurses dreadfully – some of them were nice – but the nightshift were really spiteful…they used to hurt you….when they changed the covers and sheets and stuff. Things that were bought for me used to go missing…
3.31 Missed out academically. Tried to teach himself.
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Wore hand-me-downs and was teased at school. Now has a tendency to prefer second-hand clothing. There were times when we were absolutely skint…we couldn’t afford shoes, so we put cardboard in them…to stop the water getting through…we could go for months like that…
2.18 At school was punished by being excluded from art classes.
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We left Nechells in 1969…moved into a 4-bedroomed house.
1.04 I went to Chivenor School for one year…on Castle Vale….I was a skinhead then with full braces and boots…I had to sit on a 5 seater table on my own throughout the term…but no teacher ever put a hand on me again…I could see that corporal punishment was fading out and I could see that it was wrong then.
3.44 We eventually went from there in 1971 to Castle Vale Comprehensive… I ended up in Mr Barnett’s office on the first day of a new school…and the same things dogged me… However, liked Mr Barnett and thought he was a good headmaster.
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Moved up into a higher class away from disruptions.
2.17 Did well at football. Then moved on to playing rugby. Was chosen to play for Greater Birmingham. Story about rugby locker room.
4.36 Once again, I didn’t go any further, but I didn’t realise then that you had to go to Oxbridge to play for England. I came up against the system which is always there…
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Continues to discuss rugby ambitions.
1.15 Wanted to remain at school for 6th form, but discouraged by one particular teacher. However, stayed and achieved 2 A levels. Thinks facilities at Castle Vale Comprehensive for art and sport were excellent. Left school in 1978.
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Further descriptions of teachers. Amusing story about science class.
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Continues stories about teachers.
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At the end of 1978 we had a leaving disco at the school for all 6th formers…. Reluctant to go to disco, persuaded by friend. Anecdote about meeting his wife Clare.
3.13 I moved on to the foundation course in 1978-9. I went to Sutton Coldfield School of Art…I did a one year course. Discusses course content.
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Removed from course for refusing to read out loud.
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Applied to Stourbridge School of Art. Rejected but applied to Stoke and was accepted. Felt bad about having to leave Clare. Left to do the BA in Fine Art at North Staffs. Poly in 1980. Couldn’t settle at college. Didn’t enjoy history of art. Left after 3 months.
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I was adamant that with my ability I could make it without a degree…I was unaware then of the snobbery and the system….there was an awful gap between having ability and talent and having a degree…It had to be Slade or St. Martins…
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Birmingham Arts Council, they wouldn’t help me…the galleries wouldn’t help me....and in 1982, me and Clare got married. I continued to paint when I got home from work. Worked mainly in hospitals because of the flexi-hours. In 1985 lost his job, made redundant due to privatisation. Couldn’t keep up with mortgage payments, became homeless for 2 days. Given a flat on Castle Vale.
3.02 In 1989, I was given the chance to go on a course, The Prince’s Trust for 6 weeks…they promised me £4000 at the end of it to set up a studio….and was then told I was too old at 28 to be allowed to have the £4000…after I’d done all the work…
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Took work to Ikon Gallery and Birmingham Art Gallery but told to get more experience. The Work is a social-realist depiction of life on a housing estate.
2.28 There were not many figurative artists around during the 1980s, and I was really surprised that they didn’t actually snatch at this work, or give me some kind of opportunity to show the work to the Birmingham people, because this work was about Birmingham people !
3.29 In 1990, I got a job as a kitchen porter at the General Hospital… Applied for a job there as a theatre orderly. Used materials within the hospital as art canvases.
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Built up a portfolio and left work in 1993.
1.30 In 1994, my brother Terry lent me £200 to frame all the work I’d produced….and I went to the Bond and rented the space out…. We did everything ourselves…. Terry Grimley of The Birmingham Post praised the exhibition. Other media praised the work. Tamworth Art Centre liked the work and offered a 13 week residency.
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Took up the residency in the Summer of 1994…. Describes the environment in Tamworth. Exhibited children’s work alongside his own.
4.04 I’ve got to say that the 14 week residency was the happiest time I’ve had producing art. I produced positive pictures…I realised everything wasn’t doom and gloom like I was painting on Castle Vale….
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Continued.
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Lists other solo and group exhibitions.
1.50 HAT Housing Action Trust of Castle Vale set Paul up in a studio for 12-15 months to produce art for the Wolverhampton exhibition.
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Producing a book in brother’s memory.
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Describes a particular painting entitled, “Don’t forget the Fish”.
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Describes the painting, “Main Street Days”.
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Continued.
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I’ve been talking about art and way it has affected me and my life….why was I given the gift to paint and then stuck in the middle of poverty in the slums….The fact that I was born a working class lad has held me back and…in such a way as the work develops, the way I get grants…Coming from Birmingham you’d have thought that one of the major museums and galleries would’ve been interested….Elaborates.
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Contrasts photography and painting. |