Preston artist Harold Wood had a fascinating life that covered most of the 20th century. He was a friend to royalty and a renowned horse painter. He trained as an artist in Preston.

Born in 1918, Wood studied Drawing and Painting at the Harris School of Art. He then worked for Leyland Paint and Varnish as a decorative artist. This was the era of Art Deco wallpaper, ceramics and buildings.

Art Deco buildings in Preston

Preston boasts some fine Art Deco buildings, one of them being the old Woolworths store in Fishergate, which was built in 1922. This is now used as a Next store.

Another still existing Art Deco building is the old Co-op store near the covered market.

This fine building was built in the 1930s.

The co-op ceramics department in 1935, note the deco wall detailing.

In the 1930s, well-known ceramic artists such as Clarice Cliff designed colourful Art Deco pottery. This set is from 1930.

Wood paints Preston

Wood also painted some views of his hometown of Preston. He was a versatile artist painting in several different styles. He was also a contemporary of fellow Northern artist L.S. Lowry.

World War II

From 1939 to 1945, Wood served in North Africa , Abyssinia and Europe. In 1946, he worked in London as an illustrator and model maker.

WWII devastated large parts of the country. Many buildings were destroyed. In fact, 47,000 houses had been levelled in London.

Architectural model makers were in demand as rebuilding began. Models were used by architects to show clients how a particular site would look. Primarily they were used by prestige projects such as railway station complexes and whole area redevelopment.

During this time Wood continued his other art projects. The pencil drawing of Mrs Wood below was drawn in 1946. In 1953 Wood became a full time artist.

Painter of the Arab world

In 1947 Wood came to the attention of Absul Azziz al Saud (1875-1953), The King of Saudi Arabia.

They had a long relationship. Wood painted the life of the Royal family until 1977. Indeed he completed 58 paintings.

It was in Saudi Arabia that Wood developed his love for horses. The Sultan of Oman bred beautiful Arabian horses, and it was this patron who commissioned a number of horse paintings.

Wood often included horses and donkeys in his work.

Ireland

In 1980 Wood moved to Ireland. In stark contrast to his desert scenes, he began to paint more landscapes and rural scenes. Wood died in 2014 at the age of 96.

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