Doreen Fletcher’s Exhibition
Just over six months ago, I introduced you to Doreen Fletcher’s paintings in these pages and I am thrilled to announce that – thanks to the extraordinary positive response by you, the readers of Spitalfields Life – Doreen’s first solo exhibition of these works opens next Friday 10th June at Townhouse, 5 Fournier St, Spitalfields, and runs until 26th June.
Hairdresser, Ben Jonson Rd, 2001
It is my pleasure to publish this selection of the remarkable paintings and drawings created by Doreen Fletcher in the East End between 1983 and 2003.
“I was discouraged by the lack of interest,” admitted Doreen to me plainly, explaining why she gave up after twenty years of doing this work. For the past decade, all these pictures have sat in Doreen’s attic until I persuaded her to take them out and let me photograph them for publication here.
Doreen came to the East End in 1983 from West London. “My marriage broke up and I met someone new who lived in Clemence St, E14,” she revealed, “it was like another world in those days.” Yet Doreen immediately warmed to her new home and felt inspired to paint. “I loved the light, it seemed so sharp and clear in the East End, and it reminded me of the working class streets in the Midlands where I grew up,” she confided to me, “It disturbed me to see these shops and pubs closing and being boarded up, so I thought, ‘I must make a record of this,’ and it gave me a purpose.”
For twenty years, Doreen conscientiously sent off transparencies of her pictures to galleries, magazines and competitions, only to receive universal rejection. As a consequence, she forsook her artwork entirely in 2003 and took a managerial job, and did no painting for the next ten years. But eventually, Doreen had enough of this too and has recently rediscovered her exceptional forgotten talent.
Many of Doreen’s pictures exist as the only record of places that have long gone and I publish her work in the hope that she will receive the recognition she deserves, not just for outstanding quality of her painting but also for her brave perseverance in pursuing her clear-eyed vision of the East End in spite of the lack of any interest or support.
Bartlett Park, 1990
Terminus Restaurant, 1984
Bus Stop, Mile End, 1983
Terrace in Commercial Rd under snow, 2003
Shops in Commercial Rd, 2003
Snow in Mile End Park, 1986
Laundrette, Ben Jonson Rd, 2001
The Lino Shop, 2001
Caird & Rayner Building, Commercial Rd, 2001
Rene’s Cafe, 1986
SS Robin, 1996
Benji’s Mile End, 1992
Railway Bridge, 1990
St Matthias Church, 1990
The Albion Pub, 1992
Turner’s Rd, 1998
The Condemned House, 1983
Leslie’s Grocer, Turner’s Rd, 1983 (Pencil Drawing)
Newsagents, Canning Town, 1991 (Coloured Crayon Drawing)
Bridge Wharf, 1984 (Pencil Drawing)
Pubali Cafe, Commercial Rd, 1990 (Coloured Crayon Drawing)
Ice Cream Van, 1990 (Coloured Crayon Drawing)
Turner’s Rd, E3
Palaseum Cinema, Commercial Rd
Salmon Lane in the Rain, 1987
Mile End Park, 1987
Wintry Park, 1987
Limehouse Churchyard, 1987
Stepney Snooker Club, 1987
Stepney Snooker Club, Evening, 1987
Commercial Rd, 1989
Railway Arch, Bow
Images copyright © Doreen Fletcher
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Good to see that Doreen’s wonderful work is being honoured at last. Good luck with the exhibition, and hope it will be the begin of the success this very talented lady deserves. Valerie
Thank you GA for bringing Dorothy Fletcher’s work to our attention, and I’m delighted to hear that Dorothy has her solo exhibition planned despite the negativity she encountered.
What a wonderful talent Dorothy has. The detail and care taken brings those paintings and drawings alive, and captures a moment in time; sadly now lost to the continuing development of the area.
This is a long overdue positive outcome for Dorothy – a case of never giving up or stop dreaming!!
Will be booking travel arrangements today to visit the exhibition.
Poignant, moving, meticulous, contemplative and atmospheric is her body of work.
The works possess the particularity of a true and deep observer and of what it feels like to be human in that very moment – at that very place – in all of the confluence of time.
Congratulations to Doreen – and to the Gentle Author – who led Doreen to reveal her heart’s treasured rumination on the East End both here and in the upcoming gallery exhibition.
Can’t wait to see these. It would be great to know what Doreen is doing now. Is she still documenting London? I am a keen urban sketcher and carry pen and sketchbook everywhere and put my sketches on social media which is huge fun.
What beautiful artwork. So evocative and almost photographic in their quality.
I’m pleased that Doreen is getting recognition for her keen eyed observation on east end life. It’s a historical record of everyday life that is now largely gone. I’m pencilling in a visit to see this. Thanks.
A true heir to the East End group. I wish Doreen every success.
Oh I’m so glad to hear that, will definitely come along.
Very well done all xx
These are wonderful, such detail, I hope the exhibition is a success. Hugh
I do like Doreen’s paintings and is worthy of inclusion on these pages. Her building perspective is exceedingly good. The ‘Shops in Commercial Road’ painting has hints of Lowry’s matchstick men style. To sum up; This is nice for you to have a solo exhibition ‘Lost Time’ so enjoy the moment Doreen. PS You do have beautiful colour palette when its needed. Also another good piece by GA with all the trimmings. John
What an impressive body of work from a very talented artist. Doreen is especially good at capturing the prevailing quality of light and I look forward to visiting the exhibition. Very glad that Doreen’s work is receiving the recognition it richly deserves.
David Cantor
What an amazing hidden treasure, so glad they will now be seen by the public.
I can’t believe these are not photographs, what talent has been hidden away for years.
Good luck with the exhibition, sadly I live too far away to attend.
Absolutely fascinating. I do wish I could see the real pictures!
I daren’t think what might
have happened to Doreen’s work if you hadn’t encouraged her to clear out her attic. I will certainly be making a trip to see her work and also take the opportunity to visit other parts of the area mentioned in your blogs. We had a lovely day out in Southend to see the wonderful paintings of the East End Group at the Beecroft Gallery – followed by fish and chips and a train ride on the pier!
Hooray for Doreen, the GA, and all those who reacted so positively when these wonderful paintings were first revealed to us in this blog.
Wish I could attend the exhibition and congratulate the artist in person. These words of thanks for her talent will have to suffice.
Enjoy your event, Doreen!
I love Doreen’s work, both for the locations and her considerable skill and talent. It reminds me of the colours and light of Eric Ravilious. My ancestors lived in Turner’s Road. Is there any chance that prints might be produced?
Wow what else can one say,they are fantastic I wish I could do a 10th as well. (I have difficulty drawing breath).
Why no one wanted them before is behond my comprehension.
I’d like to congratulate you both Doreen for the wonderfuly life like pictures and you for getting her to share them with us.
I wish I lived closer so I could come and shake her hand.
Congratulations and thank you Gentle Author for finding this treasure of an artist and congratulations to Ms Fletcher for possessing such a wealth of talent. A well developed eye for composition, light, atmosphere and character of place all add up to a sincere painter worthy of wide recognition. Lovely!
Are Doreen’s painting going to be for sale at the exhibit?
Yes, some are for sale.
A marvelous and inspired account of the East End. Looking forward to the exhibition.
These are a fantastic record of the East End by a very talented artist, and I wish Doreen great success with the exhibition. I think we know why she has had her work rejected in the past don’t we; they are good, and talented artists are rejected now by those who are the sort who would admire the Emperor’s new clothes.
Have a great exhibition, your paintings are amazing, wish we were able to be there, unfortunately Scotland is too far away for us. X
Here’s an intriguing happenstance, an odd instance of a single object becoming two separate works of art. The painting “ Condemned House” shown above, depicts the very building that became the art object known as “House”. For those unfamiliar with the latter I direct you to it’s Wikpedia page – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_(sculpture) – but in a nutshell, the artist Rachel Whiteread applied concrete to the interior of the abandoned house and then demolished the walls resulting in a cast of the building now standing “inside out”. In this way the subject of the 1983 painting became a sculpture of sorts ten years later. The concrete block – not much loved by the local populace – won Whiteread that year’s Turner prize but was demolished soon thereafter – an act widely regarded now as an example of anti-modernist philistinism.
Doreen Fletcher’s paintings have found another admirer all the way in North Carolina, USA. She is fortunate to have had you feature her work leading to this exhibit. In my imagination, I will arrive, walking slowly past each of the paintings while thinking of the stories they represent, the places that are now gone. This architectural inventory has preserved a time and a sense of place. Fabulous. Thank you.
Wish I were nearer to see the exhibition. Hope it is the success it deserves to be.
It’s a great pleasure to see Doreen’s marvellous work again; I know many of her locations from my explorations with the camera. Looking forward to the exhibition – it will be a knockout.
Fantastic – I hope every work for sale finds a new owner!
very nice. i especially like snow in mile end park, rene’s cafe, and mile end park 1987.
🙂
With realist paintings like these the question i always ask myself is, “is it better that the real thing?, does it add something more than the real thing?” …well the answer is undoubtedly YES!
But these are lovely!
These are simply lovely.
Ran across this online exhibit while searching for a current exhibit, but BBC USA did not complete with any art, only descriptions. Glad I followed my curiosity to this page. I love her work. Had I time and funds, I’d surely travel to see and enjoy. Perhaps not the best time of year, but that’s only a small thing.
What a wonderful talent, hidden for too long.
I WENT TO SEE YOUR EXHIBITION YESTERDAY – BEAUTIFUL! SO MANY MEMORIES WERE PROVOKED OF HOW POPLAR AND MILE END USED TO LOOK – YOU HAVE A GREAT EYE FOR DETAIL, AS WELL AS PRODUCING THE MOST AMAZING RENDITIONS OF SKIES , SUNLIGHT AND ITS EFFECT ON THE ENVIRONMENT…AND THE MOST CONVINCING BRICKWORK….THE DETAIL WAS EXTRAORDINARY!! I WOULD LIKE TO ASK, HOW MUCH IS THE PICTURE OF BARTLETT PARK? (WHICH IS ACTUALLY A PICTURE OF THE OLD SABBARTON ARMS ON UPPER NORTH STREET)? OR HAS THE PICTURE BEEN SOLD ALREADY?