Darwen ‘view’ in national archive (From Lancashire Telegraph)
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Darwen ‘view’ in national archive
2:26pm Thursday 29th November 2012 in Leisure
By Dan Clough, Reporter
GIFT Ruby Lever’s ‘Darwen from Holker House’ now in Blackburn Museum
A WORK of art created in Darwen 20 years ago by a woman now aged 100 is featured in a new national archive of the nation’s paintings.
The BBC has teamed up with the Public Catalogue Foundation to create Your Paintings, a bid to record every oil, tempera and acrylic painting in the UK’s national collection and make it accessible to the public online.
In 1992, Ruby Lever completed her painting of Darwen from Holker House, and now it resides in Blackburn Museum.
Mrs Lever, of Punstock Road, said she only ever painted as a hobby.
She said: “In 1976, a couple we were friendly with came round and the wife was saying how she had been to painting classes. My husband said he had been trying to get me into it, so she asked if I wanted to go with her and I did.
“The classes were in the old technical college in Union Street, and that is what started me off.
“But I only really did it for pleasure and I think other people thought more of them than I ever did.”
Mrs Lever, who turned 100 in August, said the painting on the Your Paintings website came about after she saw the view from Holker House.
She said: “The classes moved after the old tech closed down. I was in Holker House at a painting class and I saw that the toilet window was open.
“I looked out and thought it was a good view, so I took a photograph of it and that is how I came to paint it.”
The painting was hung in Mrs Lever’s living room until recently.
She said: “I was thinking as I got older I didn’t want it ending up at Steptoe and Sons!
“I didn’t want to sell it, but I had spent a lot of hours on it.
“I was talking to the local councillors, Dave Smith and Eileen Entwistle, who came to have a look at it.
“They liked it, so I asked if they wanted it as a gift to the council and they jumped at it.
“I believe it ended up in the mayor’s parlour and was surprised when I heard it was in the museum in Blackburn.”
The full archive of 172,000 paintings can be seen at www.bbc.co.uk/ arts/yourpaintings.
Comments(7)
english rose 1
says...
12:53am Fri 30 Nov 12
Dai Darwen
says...
1:06pm Fri 30 Nov 12
english rose 1 wrote:I would imagine there is a mayor's parlour (where Mrs Lever believed where the picture was) plus Darwen Library.
There is no museum in Darwen Dai !
Maybe even a place of honour at the Aldridge or Darwen Vale.
Still what do I know.
That should open the flood gates.
I know there aren't any in Darwen.
english rose 1
says...
2:12pm Fri 30 Nov 12
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The picture will be seen by far more people in the Museum than in a Mayor's parlour.
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If Mrs Lever wants the picture to be shown in Darwen Library then all she has to do is ask.
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sean_brfc
says...
4:12pm Fri 30 Nov 12
Dai Darwen
says...
9:38pm Fri 30 Nov 12
sean_brfc wrote:In your opinion of course sean, then again you will not get a more chilled or layed back person than me. I am just airing my views, as it appeared from the story Mrs Lever was a little surprised that it had found it's way into Blackburn museum.
I think you need to chill out Dai. It's in the nearest museum where people can go and see it in. And it happens to be in a town that, whether you like it or not, is more than just a neighbour.
You are quite right in stating that Blackburn IS more than just a neighbour.
Dai Darwen
says...
9:42pm Fri 30 Nov 12
english rose 1 wrote:The picture would be seen by even more people if placed in the Aldridge or Darwen Vale.
There is no Mayor's parlour in Darwen either !
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The picture will be seen by far more people in the Museum than in a Mayor's parlour.
*
If Mrs Lever wants the picture to be shown in Darwen Library then all she has to do is ask.
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It just seemed to me from the way I read the article that Mrs Lever seemed quite happy for her painting to be in the mayor's parlour but was surprised that it was in the museum.
Dai Darwen says...
9:47pm Thu 29 Nov 12
Absolutely terrific.
Mrs Lever was surprised when she heard it was in the museum, I'll bet she was.