Horse & Hound
Thursday, November 4th, 2004

Tom, Dick - and Sam

by Marcus Armytage

Getting Serious, by Peter Curling, fortunately without the added value of W B Yeats's foot through it

Dublin is in for a bit of a treat for 10 days, beginning on Tuesday, when Peter Curling, the Tipperary-based artist whose works a re so evocative of the Irish racing and - let me break the good news- goldfish scene, holds his first exhibition in Ireland for 11 years.

This great event is being held at 82 Merrion Square, the house where the poet WB Yeats used to live which has been lent to Peter for the duration. A private residence rather than a gallery, its Listed status means that Peter can't so much as bang a nail into the walls.

And therein lay a problem for the artist, because it doesn't become an oil on canvas of five point-to-pointers cresting the top a hill, 54x72in, entitled Getting Serious, to be propped up against the skirting boards, where, were he still musing, WB would probably have tripped over it.

The poet's line from Easter 1916 about the Easter Rising; "All changed, changed utterly: a terrible beauty is born" might have been referring to the size 10 hole he'd just put in Getting Serious.

So Peter, at considerable expense, has had to ship in a specialist carpenter from London to create wooden frames from which to hang his 49 works of art. "I could," he reflected earlier this week, "have hired the whole of Cork Street for the cost of the carpenter!"

Such is the demand for Peter's work that, much like his exhibition in London last year, it has virtually sold out before the private view, to the annoyance of some of his bigger clients.

Which brings us on to his "piece de resistance", the painting Tom, Dick and Harry- the three goldfish in someone's pond. He has already had some stick for including it in the exhibition but far be it for me, who can't even draw a stick horse, to criticise that decision.

However, a major client who had missed the boat as far as buying some of the major works was concerned rang Peter recently to purchase a painting. "Can I buy that one?" he asked. "No," replied Peter, "it's sold." "Howaboutthatone?" "Sorry, sold." And so the conversation continued. "There's only one left," said Peter, helpfully putting the client out of his misery "It's entitled Tom, Dick and Harry." "You might," said his client, "be a great artist, Peter, but you'd be some effing genius if you persuaded me to buy that."

Of course one always wonders what makes artists tick and what inspires them. Afterwards, for example, is of a mud-splattered jockey offering an explanation for a beaten favourite. This particular painting was inspired by the great Tommy Ryan - who always used to take his teeth out before riding and was partially responsible for the introduction of whip rules - after partnering Blitzkrieg for Edward O'Grady.

The horse had just been sold for a considerable sum to Peter Hopkins, who had hoped to recoup some of the cost by investing equally heavily on Blitzkrieg with a bookmaker, thereby sending the horse off at a very short price. Going to the last, Blitzkrieg looked like he'd win but on the desperate ground he emptied out and was passed up the run-in. So having financially taken something of a double hit, Mr Hopkins stomped down from the stands to hear Tommy Ryan's explanation, which was also overheard by the artist. "Well boss," said the jockey, who was all mud and no teeth, "coming to the last I fort I'd piss it. He jumped t'hurdle grand. I gave him one tear round the hole and the arse fell out of him."

Not maybe quite what Mona Lisa said to Michaelangelo, but each to their own. It will interest genetic scientists that Peter's son, Sam, can't draw or paint to save his life. And while the father trains a few pointers and had two rides as a jockey, winning his first and falling flat on his face at the start on the second - thereby starting at the top and finishing at the bottom-the son looks like he can ride a bit.

After spells with Edward O'Grady and Willie Mullins, Sam this summer joined Nicky Henderson. He was a pretty instant success, winning two bumpers on Rio San Vio, although the horse broke a leg going for the hat-trick. "To be honest, the best painting I ever did was when I creosoted the gate," says Sam, 20, who has ridden 26 winners so far and is just beginning to get going this side of the Irish Sea. Early in his career, he was walking into the paddock with all the other jockeys when an owner waved at him. Eager to please but unsure what his owner looked like, Sam walked up to the him, touched his cap, looked him eye, shook his hand firmly and in a businesslike manner and introduced himself. "It's lovely to meet you," said the owner, "but you're not riding for me today I was waving to the fellow behind you."

Another explanation, another inspiration?

PETER CURLING.

EXHIBITIONS.

Lambourn engineering, Lambourn, Combridges Art Gallery, Dublin. Goffs, Kildare, Ireland. The Tryon Gallery, London. Cross Gate Gallery, Lexington, Kentucky, Saratoga, U.S.Am, Jorgensen Fine Art, Dublin.

Peter Curling has paintings in the collections of  The Sultan of Brunei,  John Magnier,  Dermot Desmond, J.P. McManus, Bertram Firestone, Frank Dunne and many other collections.   He has exhibited at The Royal Portrait Painters society and his paintings have been used by the Irish Post Office

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