Forget Lowry, Van Gogh and Jason Pollock, say hello to Molly Lane!
Molly aged 93 has been putting brush to canvas from the mid 1970’s and has now decided to hand over three of her paintings to the Market. These three masterpieces depict in vibrant colour, the life in the centre circle of the busy Coventry Market.
The three pictures are superb snapshots in time, and give a colourful depiction of market life circa 1990. In the background familiar stall names can be seen like Richards, Ford and Parsons. While the foreground depicts groups of market shoppers, sitting on the benches, talking or reading the newspaper. Molly even included herself and sister Betty Darlow on one of the paintings.
Markets and Street Trading ManagerBrian Sexton said of the painting, “We are very pleased to have been given the painting to put on display , we have chosen to hang them on permanent display in the centre of the market where they belong , it feels very much as if they have come home”.
So why paint pictures of Coventry Market? Molly says, “Myself and my sister Betty used to meet go shopping in town on a Friday and come home time we used to wait in the market until it was time for our bus to come, we watched the world go buy. I just wanted to capture what I saw”.
So are you still painting? “ Yes I’m still painting now, I find it very relaxing, you can lose yourself in painting”.
So how is it going to feel to see your painting on show in the market? Molly replied, “It’s very flattering to have my paintings in the Market, I’m just an amateur, I probably get better with age”.
About The Artist – Mrs Ada Mary Zebrzuski aka Molly (nee Lane)
In 1919 Mollys mother (Amy) was living in digs in Coventry. Mollys father (William) was in the Royal Navy serving aboard his Majesties Ships, they had married in Portsmouth in September of 1918. Amy’s landlady, on hearing that a baby was on the way gave her notice to leave once saying “Sorry no babies here”
Amy did not know where to turn. Her sister Cal was living in Ladywood Birmingham. She was a War Widow with a little girl. Cal wrote and invited Amy to stay with her un til she could find a place of her own. Cal lived in a small Court house a 2 up and 2 down. So in mid 1920 Molly was born there, a Brummie.
Mollys parents, grandparents and two of her great grandparents were all Coventry kids – and so Molly and her siblings have always seen themselves as Coventry Kids too. Aged 14 Molly moved with her family to Ansty Village and then in 1944 back into the city of Coventry – Coventry Kids, home again at last.
At the end of her schooling aged 14 in July 1934 Molly won a scholarship to go onto further education by attending college to become a teacher. Her Dad refused to let her take up her place. Her father thought education was a waste of time. The family was poor and as the eldest he expected her to get a job and put all her wages into the family pot. She was lucky to get a bit of pocket money in return.
Molly never lost her love of history and art and over the years she has handmade family birthday and anniversary cards, personalising them, and letters, with her drawings.
During 1970’s she attended art classes for amateurs for about a year. This was in an old school in Vine St, the course was put on by The Butts College, this helped her to improve her knowledge and skills about painting and drawing. She also learnt techniques about the use of colour and different mediums, especially oils. This spurred her on to do oil, painting at home over the ensuing years.
In the 1980’s and 90’s Molly and her sister Betty used to do their weekly shopping in the Coventry Market on a Friday morning. When they had finished they would sit in the central area to talk and to people watch.
In the 1990’s at home for her own enjoyment Molly painted the 3 scenes of the central circle of the Coventry Market. She did these from memory and included herself and her sister Betty in painting number 1. Molly painted three scenes of the Market altogether and she included some characters who worked on the stalls and their regular customers.
Molly has also gone on to paint many other oil pictures depicting her childhood memories of her life in Birmingham.