Yesterday, 5th March, marked the 60th birthday of the living legend that is Mark E Smith, mainstay of The Fall, whose music constitutes one of TOoT‘s cultural touchstones, and noticing this milestone mentioned via the BBC Radio 6 feed on Instagram inspired me to root out an old sketchbook of 2008 vintage containing a couple of drawings made during the course of that year’s project working from found newspaper photographs, featuring MES as their subject, one a portrait from the time and the other an image captured from a concert performance from earlier days. Both of the drawings are A4 in size, made using graphite and putty eraser.
Then today, during the course of stock-taking some of the art and design books that form part of the library collection at work, I encountered a slim-volume catalogue, published by the Lowry in 2001 to mark the occasion of an exhibition the artist’s work at the gallery, featuring the paintings of Paul Housley, amongst which were a couple representing Mr Smith, circa 2000, one a portrait, albeit three-quarter, the other in performance, all a rather pleasing coincidence, or at least something that made the day progress that little bit more interestingly.
Paul Housley: paintings featuring Mark E Smith
James Rowley Artist 
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