It was a pleasure to share in Ian Coulson‘s enthusiasm for the sometimes hidden aspects of the townscape – now the cityscape – of Douglas. For his presentation, Douglas in Passing : a snapshot of a moment in time and a love story of the Island’s capital, Ian brought along just some of the paintings he has made, many of them showing back lanes, walls that once marked historic boundaries, still standing but somehow invisible. Well-known sites were sometimes swathed in scaffolding, or seen by single lights at night.
Some of Ian’s work had formed the visual part of a book for which Valerie Cottle had supplied the historical background, and Ian gave us many of the fascinating stories associated with what we could see in his paintings, not simply the historical but about his personal odyssey and attraction to these places. Ian’s exploration of the back lanes and small by-ways began as something of a game when Ian was coming in with Stewart Bennett from Peel to attend art school in Douglas – how to get from the bus stop to the art school by a different route every day.
Many thanks to Ian for a thoroughly enjoyable presentation, giving us the chance to admire his art work and learn about how the development of Douglas has left many quirky reminders of its past, often tucked away, but still there for those who seek them out.