Bromley Art Society Bringing Artists Together since 1947

I do not have an artistic background. As an evacuee, ending up in Cheshire. When my mother remarried, I was brought up on a farm in Gawsworth. I eventually became a chemist in R & D, working in I.C.I. on water/detergent analysis, briefly with Penicillin manufacture and finally in Dyestuff research. I came back to London, worked in paint research and spent many years in developing building additives and acting as a trouble shooter in the Civil Engineering and building industries. This latter involved a lot of travel away from home.

Eventually, tiring of all this, I changed direction and became a teacher until I retired in 1995.

My hobbies were archeology (where I first met my wife Dallas) and gardening (I ended up as secretary of the Croydon and District Allotments and Garden Societies - 4,600 allotments).

In Bromley the scout movement, C.N.D. and the Green Party took up much time and together with Technical Administration I became overworked and headed towards a breakdown.

My doctor advised me to cut down and take up an interest away from work. He suggested Art as an interest. Being a Jack of all trades I gave it a go, joined the W.W.A.A. and loved it, even realising I was a pretty awful artist.

To raise funds for the Green Party I ran a Craft Market. In an effort to fill stalls I put some of my daubs on one and actually sold 4 pictures - unbelievable!. So I ran craft markets for some years, mainly in my school. Each time I booked a stall for myself and did fairly well.

Since I retired I’ve continued to volunteer - a fault in my life I think - but I can’t seem to help it. I work with OXFAM and other charities, one Scout group and two art societies, one of them the B.A.S.

Some years ago I started making my own frames and somehow this has expanded into making and renovating frames for others as well.

I try to balance my lifestyle with my ill health. Full time interests keep me going and I can hopefully postpone most of the ill health for a while yet. However, the admin. of hiring screens and help with exhibitions for the B.A.S. needs to be taken over by a younger, fitter interested party well before I finally retire. I could then maybe just paint and try and match some of the quality of many of my fellow members of B.A.S.

Peter Dinsmore