Charlie Kitsch.

I am so very excited to introduce to you Charlie Kitsch and his fabulously retro paintings, soon to be prints!

Charlie

 Let me start from the beginning.

Whilst visiting my darling friend, Charlotte, last week I was doing my normal nosing around every room when I saw these amazingly kitsch paintings.

'Three pals'

'Calf love'

When I found out that Charlotte's great grandad had painted them in the 70's I just had to find out a little more about this intriguing man and his quirky artwork.

Mr Charles Thomas Marson aka Charlie aka Charlie Kitsch, as he is now renamed (more on that later!) was born 27th April 1912. Always an artist but as many men of the era he went to sea and fought for our country in the second world war. On Christmas eve 1942 his wife, Doris, received a letter to say he had been injured in battle when the vehicle he was in drove over a land mine.

Not only did he survive he went on to fight in the war until 1946 when he returned home to his child hood sweetheart.

Continuing work as an insurance agent he never lost his love for painting, as ever the fighter he battled for his life for 15 years against prostate cancer, but still continued to paint for his children and grandchildren. He also painted for the community, including the windows of the houses on his street at Christmas time.

A slighty blurry shot of charlie and one of his Christmas cheer window paintings.

Charlie in the local paper.

And this is why I love vintage.

These retro paintings and the heart warming story that go with them fill me with such nostalgia and admiration.

After asking (pleading) with Charlotte for copies of the paintings she told me that there are many more pieces like this, including a 1950's cat.

So this is how charlie kitsch came about. I am so happy to tell you that, with permission from her family, Charlotte will be having the paintings reprinted and for sale very soon in her etsy shop here

Charlotte and her family are so proud to be able to share Charlies work and they tell me that if he were alive today he would be the proudest man.

God bless you Charlie. I am so happy I got to own a little piece of your life.

Lauren x