While much is known about this beloved musician, fans will
be thrilled to know that there is still more to uncover. For example, did you
know that Paul McCartney, or Macca as some call him, wrote his first song when
he was fourteen called “I Lost my Little Girl?” Or how about the fact that in
his youth he twice failed auditions to become a choir boy- yes, Paul McCartney,
failed singing auditions not once, but twice. Another little known fact about
Macca is that his first instrument was not a guitar, but a trumpet. It was a
gift from his father on his 14th birthday, but he soon traded it for
a guitar. Other little known facts about him include that he is an honorary
detective with the NYPD, he witnessed the 9/11 attacks from a plane in New
York, he is a vegetarian, and is in the Guinness Book of Records with 60 gold
discs and sales of over 100 million singles. However, one of the most
fascinating aspects of his artistry come from the fact that not only is
McCartney a world-renowned musician, he is also an accomplished painter, who
has had over 70 of his paintings exhibited at the Walker art gallery in
Liverpool.
(McCartney
with his exhibit at the Walker Gallery)
Though he began regularly painting at the age of forty, his
interest in art dates back to his childhood. When McCartney was eleven, he used
a school prize to buy his first modern art book, which included works by Dali
and Picasso. At fourteen, he won an art prize for a drawing of St. Aidan’s
Church on the estate where he lived. While he lacked any formal art training,
he became very friendly with many artists, critics, and gallery owners who
exposed him to contemporary art and fed his enthusiasm for painting. One of
Paul’s biggest inspirations is Willem de Kooning, whom he met when de Kooning
was a client at his father-in-law’s law firm. Willem de Kooning became a family
friend and a mentor to McCartney, inspiring many of McCartney’s works.
(McCartney
with de Kooning)
As for his process, McCartney remarked that, “sometimes
just putting on the paint is more interesting than actually thinking what it
all means.” Many of the themes and titles of his pieces are spontaneous and are
inspired by what instinctively happens on the canvas. McCartney has talked
about how John Lennon and Andy Warhol “appear” in his pieces. Some of
McCartney’s most famous pieces include “My Eye” (2001), “Big Mountain Face”
(1991), “Boxer lips” (1990), and “Yellow Linda with Piano” (1988) (Shown from
left to right):
