David Vaughan (artist)
Encyclopedia
David Vaughan was a psychedelic artist who formed the design team Binder, Edwards & Vaughan (BEV) and the father of actress Sadie Frost
. He obtained commissions for his psychedelic painted furniture from HRH Princess Margaret, did work for the Beatles in the early 1960s. He also worked for Expo 67
and Lord John in Carnaby Street
, while David Bailey (photographer) used his work for a series of posters. He was also in charge of London's Roundhouse
, where he booked Jimi Hendrix
for his first British gig for the grand sum of £50.
Vaughan was born in Manchester
, Lancashire
, England
, the son of two factory workers, he studied art in Ashton-under-Lyne
and Bradford
where Binder & Edwards were fellow students before moving to London
to take up the offer of a place at the prestigious Slade School of Fine Art
. On leaving art school, he set up a very successful design team, inviting Binder and Edwards from Bradford to join him. For several years during the mid '60s they produced customised cars & furniture. Vaughan was invited to America by Macey's dept store to demonstrate his techniques, as Artist in Residence. He was also approached by the chairman of Pan Am who wanted some jets customising. He travelled across the USA in his customised Buick 6, promoting Swinging London.
On returning to Britain, he accepted a commission to paint a giant psychedelic mural on the exterior 3 story high wall of a building on Carnaby St. which housed the Lord John Boutique. While he was working from a cradle on the giant mural, a visitor let one of the securing ropes go, plunging the cradle down 3 storeys, and landing on the ground with Vaughan trapped under the visitor. He appeared unhurt but suffered an undiagnosed head injury. Instead of taking him to hospital to be examined, his friends gave him some LSD
to "calm him down" which in fact flipped his mind. He then spent three years as a down and out, suffering from Manic Depression, which he suffered from for the rest of his life.
He eventually got his life back on track with a new wife, to whom he was married for over 30 years. He rejected the "London scene" and moved back to Manchester, where he became the country's most prolific mural artist, during the 70's & early 80's. He formed the mural group "Noah's Ark", which as well as producing mural art for the under-privileged in youth clubs, schools, churches and hospitals (he painted the first British hospital mural at The Duchess of York's Hospital for Babies in Manchester), but also offered young and disadvantaged people the opportunity to study mural painting first hand.
During the 70's he employed a variety of young people to assist and learn how to produce a mural whilst also completing many private commissions - re-creating on a smaller scale some of the success he achieved in the 60's. These included customized shops - Barretts Music shop on Oxford Rd became a mecca for art/music students who visited the shop to see the huge portraits of Jazz and Blues musicians adorning the walls, which were just a part of the complete makeover he gave the premises in '74. In the mid 80's he started to produce his "Victims" series of paintings - which depicted some of the horrors of modern society, and which were found to be quite controversial at the time. In his later career he returned to painting portraits - Lennon, Dylan, Gallagher and also pencil portraits of David Beckham and Jude Law.
Vaughan died whilst awaiting a liver transplant.
Link to Obituary:
http://www.tamesideadvertiser.co.uk/news/s/383554_sadies_dad_dies
Sadie Frost
Sadie Frost is an English actress, who currently runs fashion label Frost French and has designed the kitchens for a new development in the East End of London.-Biography:Frost was born Sadie Liza Vaughan in London...
. He obtained commissions for his psychedelic painted furniture from HRH Princess Margaret, did work for the Beatles in the early 1960s. He also worked for Expo 67
Expo 67
The 1967 International and Universal Exposition or Expo 67, as it was commonly known, was the general exhibition, Category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It is considered to be the most successful World's Fair of the 20th century, with the...
and Lord John in Carnaby Street
Carnaby Street
Carnaby Street is a pedestrianised shopping street in London, United Kingdom, located in the Soho district, near Oxford Street and Regent Street. It is home to numerous fashion and lifestyle retailers, including a large number of independent fashion boutiques...
, while David Bailey (photographer) used his work for a series of posters. He was also in charge of London's Roundhouse
Roundhouse
A roundhouse is a building used by railroads for servicing locomotives. Roundhouses are large, circular or semicircular structures that were traditionally located surrounding or adjacent to turntables...
, where he booked Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
for his first British gig for the grand sum of £50.
Vaughan was born in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the son of two factory workers, he studied art in Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. Historically a part of Lancashire, it lies on the north bank of the River Tame, on undulating land at the foothills of the Pennines...
and Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
where Binder & Edwards were fellow students before moving to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to take up the offer of a place at the prestigious Slade School of Fine Art
Slade School of Fine Art
The Slade School of Fine Art is a world-renownedart school in London, United Kingdom, and a department of University College London...
. On leaving art school, he set up a very successful design team, inviting Binder and Edwards from Bradford to join him. For several years during the mid '60s they produced customised cars & furniture. Vaughan was invited to America by Macey's dept store to demonstrate his techniques, as Artist in Residence. He was also approached by the chairman of Pan Am who wanted some jets customising. He travelled across the USA in his customised Buick 6, promoting Swinging London.
On returning to Britain, he accepted a commission to paint a giant psychedelic mural on the exterior 3 story high wall of a building on Carnaby St. which housed the Lord John Boutique. While he was working from a cradle on the giant mural, a visitor let one of the securing ropes go, plunging the cradle down 3 storeys, and landing on the ground with Vaughan trapped under the visitor. He appeared unhurt but suffered an undiagnosed head injury. Instead of taking him to hospital to be examined, his friends gave him some LSD
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide and colloquially as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which can include altered thinking processes, closed and open eye visuals, synaesthesia, an...
to "calm him down" which in fact flipped his mind. He then spent three years as a down and out, suffering from Manic Depression, which he suffered from for the rest of his life.
He eventually got his life back on track with a new wife, to whom he was married for over 30 years. He rejected the "London scene" and moved back to Manchester, where he became the country's most prolific mural artist, during the 70's & early 80's. He formed the mural group "Noah's Ark", which as well as producing mural art for the under-privileged in youth clubs, schools, churches and hospitals (he painted the first British hospital mural at The Duchess of York's Hospital for Babies in Manchester), but also offered young and disadvantaged people the opportunity to study mural painting first hand.
During the 70's he employed a variety of young people to assist and learn how to produce a mural whilst also completing many private commissions - re-creating on a smaller scale some of the success he achieved in the 60's. These included customized shops - Barretts Music shop on Oxford Rd became a mecca for art/music students who visited the shop to see the huge portraits of Jazz and Blues musicians adorning the walls, which were just a part of the complete makeover he gave the premises in '74. In the mid 80's he started to produce his "Victims" series of paintings - which depicted some of the horrors of modern society, and which were found to be quite controversial at the time. In his later career he returned to painting portraits - Lennon, Dylan, Gallagher and also pencil portraits of David Beckham and Jude Law.
Vaughan died whilst awaiting a liver transplant.
Link to Obituary:
http://www.tamesideadvertiser.co.uk/news/s/383554_sadies_dad_dies