Kim Valdez is an artist and sculptor who was the founder of Crouch End Open Studios, an annual event exhibiting fine art ‘within walking distance of the Crouch End Clock Tower’.  Her mother was a contemporary and friend of members of the East London Group of artists and Valdez has been involved in rediscovering the work of these artists.

This morning M and I walked down the garden path of Valdez’ Crouch End home to see her installation ‘The Studio of the Unknown Artist 1928-2014.’

The front room of her house has been converted into the studio of Albert Turpin, a WWI marine and thereafter a window cleaner and member of the East London Group.

Valdez’ acrylic sculpture is based on a photograph of Albert Turpin.

Turpin said this: ‘Why give a man a fifteen-stone body, the temper of the story-type Irish navvy with the face of a fighting pug, and then implant a tiny seed of melancholy, a tiny seed but enough to bring tears when an old piece of music is played or a poem read.’  He was the painter of the wonderful Kitchen Bedroom, which shows his wife rinsing out his window cleaning materials.

He went on to become the Labour Mayor of Bethnal Green.

There is a lot more about these great painters in the book From Bow to Biennale by David Buckman.