Rolf Harris: A much loved man of many talents

THERE are few people whose name elicits such warmth and affection as Rolf Harris.

For the past six decades, the Australian-born entertainer has been a regular, and much-loved, fixture on our TV screens. During that time he’s introduced us to the delights of the wobble board and the didgeridoo and encouraged countless youngsters to pick up a brush and try their hand at painting.

He’s become an adopted Brit, a “national treasure”, and at the age of 82 remains as popular as ever. In May – the same month he received a Bafta Fellowship for his contribution to television and the arts – a major retrospective of his work went on display at Liverpool’s Walker Art gallery where it attracted a record number of visitors.

This weekend, Rolf will be at the Whitewall gallery in York, where a selection of original paintings are being exhibited alongside some new limited editions from his collection. He is one of the world’s most famous living artists whose popularity has only grown over time. “That’s an accumulation of many years of being in people’s lives through TV shows like Rolf’s Cartoon Club and Animal Hospital,” he says.

“I get people in their 40s coming up to me and saying, ‘I grew up listening to your songs and we still play them on family holidays’ and it’s lovely to hear people say that.”

You have to go back more than half a century to find a time when Rolf wasn’t on our TV screens. He moved to London in 1952, at the age of just 22, to study art, leaving behind his family back in western Australia. “It was a big step, a leap into the dark.” By this time he was already a budding performer playing in a three-piece band. “I was a show-off and I made a lot of noise which covered the inadequacies of my piano and accordion playing.”

Despite this enthusiasm he found his new life a bit of a struggle to begin with. “I felt lost at art school, I didn’t really have a feel for it.” It was a chance meeting with Hayward Veal, an Australian artist he’d long admired, who reignited his passion for art.

“He took me under his wing and I learned a lot from him. He was a wonderful man and he taught me to paint what I see, not what I think I know.” It’s a mantra he repeats to this day. “If you paint what you see and it’s accurate then you will have created an impression of what you’re drawing.”

He first appeared on our TV screens in 1942 when he started working for the BBC and then in 1960 his music career took off when he recorded Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport and it became a top 10 hit.

This led to him being introduced to legendary producer George Martin. “I played him my rough recording of Sun Arise but he said it was boring. That raised my hackles a bit and I explained that was the way Aborigines sing and he said, ‘yes, but it’s still boring.’ He told me to go away and write a middle bit, what you call a middle eight. So I did that and we recorded it with me hitting the sticks and it worked like a dream. He was incredible to work with but then The Beatles took over and he no longer had time for me, or anyone else,” he says, laughing.

He enjoyed a string of hit singles including Jake the Peg and Two Little Boys, which was top of the charts for six weeks in 1969, and went on to have his own BBC TV show which ran for seven years.

Rolf has also been credited with bringing art to the masses through programmes like Rolf’s Cartoon Club. But despite his popularity with viewers, the art establishment hasn’t always been on his side.

“To begin with it worried the living daylights out of me, there were people like the critic Milton Shulman saying, ‘who does he think he is, Rembrandt?’ I wanted to write back but my producer told me not to because critics always have the last word,” he says.

But it’s Rolf who has had the last laugh. As well as being one of the few living artists that people can actually name, his work has been exhibited in the National Gallery and in 2005 he was invited to paint a portrait of the Queen to celebrate her 80th birthday. The accompanying TV programme, The Queen by Rolf, was watched by an audience of nearly seven million which is proof, if any was ever needed, of his enduring popularity.

Even so, he admits he was nervous. “I was petrified beforehand. I didn’t know what I should say and what I shouldn’t say and I was worried if she asked me something I wouldn’t know what to say.

“Not only that but what if something went wrong and she didn’t like it? But the minute she walked in she put everyone at ease and we ended up chatting like old friends.”

His passion for art and music hasn’t diminished over time and while other people his age might be slipping into retirement, he shows no sign of slowing down. As well as art commissions (he’s currently working on a painting of Piccadilly Circus in the style of Lowry) he’s also doing a new album of folk songs. “I’m up at six o’clock every morning and in my studio to start painting and I still love it,” he says.

As for the genuine affection people have for him, he finds it humbling. “It’s wonderful to feel so much love and affection from people, especially when they tell me I inspired them to become an artist.

“To know that people watched Rolf’s Cartoon Club and went on to pursue careers in animation or as an illustrator, I love the idea of that. I hope they look at me and think, ‘if he can do it, then why can’t I?’”

Rolf Harris is appearing at Whitewall York, 9 Davygate, on Sunday from 1pm-3pm. It is an invitation only event with limited spaces. To book a place call the gallery on 01904 628 116 or email [email protected]

Rolf Harris: the Wizard from Oz

Rolf Harris was born in Perth, Western Australia in 1930.

He moved to London in 1952 and the following year he started at art school.

His TV career started in the 1950s, since when he has become a household name appearing in shows like The Rolf Harris Show, Rolf’s Cartoon Club and Animal Hospital.

He has enjoyed a string of hit records including Two Little Boys, Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport and Jake The Peg, and also performed with The Beatles.

In 2005, he painted a portrait of the Queen to celebrate her 80th birthday.

He has played six times at Glastonbury and been voted the festival’s most popular entertainer.