A Good Book: The Secret Painter
WORDS BY SAM JACKSON
The Secret Painter by Joe Tucker
Written by Eric Tucker’s nephew, it is an honest, sometimes raw account of the layers and complexities of family life and how you can all seemingly live together in blissful ignorance of a person’s true self; those closest to you can often be the most secretive.
This book details the life of Eric, a charming, humble, blue-collar worker, sometimes slightly shambolic man who lives with his mother in Warrington. Warrington is not too far from here (Chester) and is known for its industrial, working-class, bread-and-butter type past. It wouldn’t be a place you would naturally associate with being overly creative. This may be the very reason Eric remained anonymous for so many years. I can only imagine the feedback he would have had from friends, families and colleagues if he were to announce himself as an artist in that area at that time.
From the outset, there is real affection for Eric, his failed attempt at a love match, an appreciation for a good boozer, and very honest beginnings. There is a sense of warmth about him, he doesn’t crave attention. In fact, the opposite, a modest man who painted simply because he liked to and it brought him joy.
What struck me was an overwhelming sadness that Eric lived a relatively lonely existence, spending the majority of his life flying under the radar. He lived a very working-class lifestyle, remaining in the family home he grew up in, whilst there is nothing amiss with that, what he was hiding was genius. More so, he wasn’t properly recognised until after his death, he didn’t get to take any pleasure in his work being discovered and celebrated. By the time he died, he’d amassed 500 or so paintings, which is no mean feat, even for the most accomplished of artists.
The takeaway for me is that creativity can flourish from anyone and anywhere, and that there should never be any righteousness, judgment or fear in that. An art world that can, on occasion, be viewed as closed off or out of reach to the lower echelon is exactly the place that you sometimes find true brilliance.
