I remember when actually starting to work at Gray’s in September 1964, Don, who was starting his fourth year, returned from a summer job in America with only one small drawing of a leaf! I was disappointed, but this proved to be the exception as Don then really started to show his very real and personal potential. In his defence though, George Mackie (Note 1) had told his Graphic students to return from the summer vacation with drawings of Post Offices (probably lifting the idea from Eric Ravilious’ set of shop front prints). Don had diligently drawn all sorts of postal references. Mackie said they were “no bloody good” as they were all American, knowing full well that’s where Don had been all summer. They were to be British!

Donald Addison was born in 1937 in Glasgow.

His mother travelled back from India for the birth, and it was two years later that they returned again after the War started.

He lived in Jaipur, and then Rawalpindi (now Islamabad, Pakistan) and spoke Hindi as a child. He and his younger brother and sister travelled back to UK in 1947, prior to Independence.

Meanwhile, his father got a job as chief engineer for the Kuwait Oil Company and his first jobs there were building the first power station and desalination plant.

The three children were sent to boarding schools in Ayrshire and Canterbury (Note 2) which was not an enjoyable experience for young Don. During holidays, they either stayed with guardians, or travelled to Kuwait for the summer.

After school, Don did National Service and really enjoyed himself in the RAF (he’s always been fascinated by all things airborne) (Note 3). He thought the training was excellent. He was in Signals and learned to type, which came in very handy when keyboard use became part of the new technology. He was based at the Air Ministry in Whitehall at the time of the Suez Crises in 1956.

After demob, he started as a management trainee with J P Coats in Paisley, the thread manufacturer. He was moved from Paisley to Leeds and worked for weeks in their store sorting out orders and selling threads, zips, etc. While there, he enrolled in a drawing evening class at Leeds School of Art.

George Mackie, Donald Addison, pencil on paper, 1965

He wasn’t cut out for management or sales. He’d always wanted a more outdoor type life. He got a job as an instructor at the Outward Bound Trust in Burghead on the Moray Coast. They took groups of boys (usually from disadvantaged backgrounds) across and around Scotland, including canoeing the length of the Caledonian Canal, hiking coast to coast across the country and sailing in a schooner, The Prince Louis.

Don was to now consider the longer-term potential of a career in art and design. His father wanted him to become an engineer, as he thought that going to art school, “wasn’t the right thing to do”. He thought Don just fancied “putting a few pencils in his top pocket”.

This was what he wanted to do, but how to take it to the next stage? Showing real initiative, and some innocence, he took his Leeds drawings and some work done in school – art was his favourite subject - to Harry Jefferson Barnes, Director of Glasgow School of Art, with a view to hopefully starting as a student there. Barnes said ‘No’, as the course was already full, but he said ‘maybe Ian Fleming in Aberdeen might have space’. Fleming was phoned there and then and said he would see Don. Driving his mother’s blue Mini, he saw Fleming the following day. Don remembers very clearly the big stuffed seagull he had in his room. Fleming said ‘Yes. But if he was no good after three months, he’d be out!’ Don was determined to not let this happen. His entry to Gray’s was breaking all the normal rules, so thanks to the good judgement of Ian Fleming, all can now enjoy the work of Don Addison. He was always very grateful to Fleming, and told him so.

He was to be part of a scheme which allowed older students to enrol on the basis that they would become teachers, as there was a shortage at this time. This aspect disappeared as Don smoothly moved into lecturing at Gray’s

Later, on seeing Don’s Diploma Show, accompanied by Ian Fleming, he Don’s father finally realised that his son had done the right thing.

Don was a lecturer in Graphic Design at Gray’s from 1967–1980, and after George Mackie left, Subject Leader from 1980–1985 (Note 4).

Donald Addison, I saw Three Ships, Aberdeen Harbour, print for Christmas Card

At 48, he left to set up his own design company, Paper Sky, specialising in postcards, calendars and diaries, with him taking most of the photographs. It was a successful brand, with most Scottish retailers warming to his sense of place and humour.

He also became very good at designing books, especially academic ones for Aberdeen University Press, and worked for a range of publishers and publications, including many exhibition catalogues and books for artists.

He continued as a printmaker and watercolourist, whilst freelancing as a designer: he was a member of the Chartered Society of Designers and gained a reputation as a logo designer extraordinaire.

His Christmas cards were always a joy, and his handwritten words on postcards were little calligraphic masterpieces (he was never without his pen and small sheaf of cards to either write or draw on).

He was also a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Research in Art and Design, Robert Gordon University, and was one of a team of Art Advisors for Grampian Hospitals Art Trust. A regular exhibitor at the Royal Society of Painters in Watercolour, the Royal Scottish Academy and the Aberdeen Artists Society, he was President of Aberdeen Artists Society in 1976–1977.

Introducing the work:

I am an artist, printmaker, and designer. My aim in the rest of this article is to simply talk about the very special and unique talents of my old pal, Don Addison. Perhaps not the best premise for a serious appraisal of his work, but there you have it. I have selected sixteen images from across his range, with particular reference to his prints, and offer a personal insight as to what is going on in each of them.

A recent survey has shown that, on average, 15–30 seconds (27.2 to be precise) is all that people spend looking at a work of art in a gallery. If I can get folk looking for a wee bit longer, it will have been worthwhile.

Don’s background is detailed elsewhere, but as an art school lecturer, he was known as “Papa Don”, which sums up his naturally avuncular look and approach; unthreatening, and a real family man. His wife, Aileen was from the farming community of Turriff and was a primary teacher. After having three children, she discovered her interest and natural ability as a financial adviser (from personal experience, I can vouch for how good she was). A perfect fit for Don, whose monetary skills were not one of his strong points. Impressively, they took in and cared for both their elderly mothers, and Don’s good nature was often borrowed, particularly with fellow, non-driving artists who used him as a taxi service.

Special thanks to all the Addison family, and in particular, sons David and John for their invaluable help and enthusiasm.

1. The Road To Market, 1964

Don Addison, The Road To Market, ink on paper, 1964

This black and white drawing is typical of what Graphic students under George Mackie at Gray’s School of Art were encouraged to do: not very exciting, but I suppose an exercise in looking and recording, probably for an illustration. All the old tricks of cross-hatching, parallel lines, different line thicknesses and dots are all here. The Market of the title refers to Kittybrewster Market, no longer there (now a retail park) with the railway transporting the cattle to it. The most interesting thing about this drawing of a stand-alone newsagents is its historical aspect, with a big emphasis on tobacco advertising and the very important “Typhoid Source Named”, dating the drawing pretty accurately to May/June 1964, the time of Aberdeen’s lockdown due to the epidemic. The story of the external assessors for the art school having to bring their own sandwiches in case of potential contamination may or may not be true, but Aberdeen was not the place to be and its reputation as a clean and tourist-friendly city was severely damaged. Certainly, travelling Aberdonians were not welcome everywhere. Although the drawing has no real high artistic value – a straightforward student effort - the story of it tells us of an unusual and anxious time in Aberdeen. There is no clue as to how Addison would later develop as a highly original and inventive designer and artist.

2. Stone Lithograph, c.1966

Donald Addison, Untitled, Stone Lithograph on paper, c. 1966

Printed on J Watman 1954 mould-made paper, this stone lithograph of Don’s Post Diploma year, without any graphic brief restriction, shows him literally spreading his wings and the start of his interest in skies, birds, trees with a very odd, dark rainbow-type shape enclosing the top of the print – more a look of Eero Saarinen’s St Louis arch: Gateway to the West.

It was drawn directly on to a block of prepared limestone with a Litho crayon or Tusche ink, or whatever choice of technique the artist chooses, including scraping with a blade to lighten certain areas, with the basic premise of grease repelling water. This print demonstrates all these variations, but it is the drawing skills and dramatic composition which makes this a very strong and lively piece.

The line of trees leading you in shows his range of mark-making, from very soft edged, delicate pencil-type lines and shading, to black, crisp, sharp-focussed branches. Scraping is used to good effect, especially at the bottom edge of the “rainbow” and on the undulating field.

The sky is full of quite threatening big dark birds, all flying from right to left, except for one spiralling upwards in the distance. A nice little contrast from all of this lively and energetic natural world is the line of man-made curved topped fence posts.

This early print shows the start of what Don Addison is all about.

3. Aberdeen Football Club Logo

Donald Addison, Aberdeen FC Logo, 1972

Don’s new logo for the Dons (Note 5) was introduced to the fans on the cover of the match day programme against East Fife, 11 Nov 1972. Before then it had been very traditional with basically the coat of arms for Aberdeen City, two leopards standing up on each side of a shield with three castles on it, and the motto, “Bon Accord” at the top. Not much to do with football.

The logo was so simple, so neat, so clever, that it has, with a few various additions, continued to form the core of the club logo for more than 50 years. Instead of having the goalmouth straight on, he turned it sideways, transforming it into a capital A with the ball made up from the goal’s netting and the horizontal bar completing the A. The contrasting delicate F C elegantly finishes it off. Who knows, but some of the inspiration might have come from Paul Nash’s 1935 poster, “Footballers Prefer Shell”; Nash being one of Don’s heroes

The talented and visionary Chris Anderson, former Aberdeen player, Vice Chairman of the Dons, Secretary of Robert Gordons Institute of Technology (latterly, Robert Gordon University) asked Don to redesign the logo, as AFC was changing rapidly, with the arrival of the North Sea oil industry creating a boom-time for the city. Chris was instrumental in making the Dons stadium the first all seater in Scotland, before it became law. Don’s new logo seemed to sum up all this new forward-looking energy, and Chris had a hand in appointing Alex Ferguson as the new manager. It was a shrewd decision that delivered extraordinary success to the club: three League Championships, four Scottish Cups, one League Cup, the European Cup Winners Cup, the European Super Cup – and all in the space of seven years.

4. Peacock Printmakers Logo

Donald Addison, Peacock Printmakers Logo

A long time in coming, but that’s what Don Addison does – taking the time to truly get to the almost perfect solution. It’s always worth the wait. I suppose it is just a peacock, but how can a black and white image seem so “colourful” and lively?

The basic format of more than half a circle allows him scope to enjoy the intricateness of the feathers, contrasted with the black silhouette of the bird’s body standing out against the white moon or sun-like background which spills out at its base, allowing the eye to enter the whole image. And what an image it is too. The three rows of eight dark shapes – “heart”, “oval” and “eye” give a sound construction to the delicate feathery lines drawn with great confidence and care, full of subtle variations. The almost mechanically-drawn triangular grids give drama round the circle with their tiny pyramid highlights merging into the all-important white and black circular lines. The tail of the bird merges effortlessly into the feathers, while the other extremity echoes the tail shape and the image gently fades away: a magnificent piece of skill, artistry and subtlety. If he can do this with a one-colour logo, no wonder his prints are exceptional.

5. Christmas At Drum, 1983

Donald Addison, Christmas at Drum, screenprint, 1983

Don produced a few prints for the National Trust for Scotland, mainly buildings in and around Aberdeenshire: Pitmedden Interiors, Haddo House and Christmas at Drum Castle. He said the Trust were not enthusiastic payers and I’m certain they got tremendous value for money for these carefully drawn and composed works.

The ‘Christmas at Drum’ print is classic Addison with all his trademark references – clouds, stars, constellations, trees, buildings - here in this quite spectacular print. Long before this, George Mackie had done something similar with Crathes Castle and others, but for me they always lacked that bit of something special, and as Mackie’s former student, I think Don shows him how to really put some life into it.

Let’s just start with the colour – a lovely cold, crisp snowy scene but with soft, subtle warmth in both clouds and castle, standing out against a dense blue wintery sky.

The undulating snow bank seemingly allows the castle to naturally grow out of it, except for a small area below the tower where a base line is evident, and with the nice curving touch of footprints heading for the arched doorway.

The chunky tower, which is the main feature of the castle, with its textured shadow, is such a contrast to the more domesticated architecture with its angles, chimneys, gables, sloping roofs and range of windows. The colour here is a lovely subtle blend of overprinting, creating cooler tones in the shadows; while the long elevation has a warmth to it with a hint of pale green and a smidgeon of almost orange textured wall leading up to the crescent moon lurking in the window.

The three trees are all different, with the large central one using the positive/negative of its branches through sky and cloud to good effect.

But it is the clouds that really make this print sing. Employing almost the same set of colours as the castle and with masterly overprinting, he achieves a most unusual range of colours, some of which blend into the roofs on the right, while others streak across the sky in a dramatic range of shapes and tones, all fitting together in a jigsaw-type fashion, contrasting beautifully with the regimental and logical structure of the buildings. What a brave thing to have done, and it is spectacular.

All that is missing is the signature group of birds, but one of his other passions is plain to see: the sky at night, with its Christmas Star and Orion. Addison at his best!

6. In Sight of Staffa 1987

The first impression is of very soft colours, with the main subject pretty close to the bottom of the print, giving Addison full scope to “do his thing” with the big expanse of sky. It is a masterclass in the use of transparent inks, creating more colours and tones by clever and skilful overprinting (it was printed at Peacock Printmakers, Aberdeen). Pale greens and pinks, soft yellows; with the all-important drawing of Staffa done in lines of gentle grey of the same thickness, but the famous Basalt columns and Fingal’s Cave in the darkest tones in the print, giving the drama it deserves. Simply done and beautifully observed.

The island is almost seen as an extension of the sea with its variety of waves and dramatic flowing energy, with, again, lovely overprinting, but leaving vital highlights of white wave tops and distant tidal flow.

The big expanse of sky above merges in with the lower part of Staffa, but the pink area above the spectacular, high focal point of the island makes it all the more outstanding, coupled with white bowed stripes giving energy and movement to this part.

The sky is a lovely foil to the busyness and detail of the bottom quarter, with big broad slabs of bold cloud-like shapes, and very little overprinting as another difference. Incorporating two of Addison’s favourite motifs – that of a tiny group of high-flying birds, and the wee fishing boat - gives scale to the whole scene. Delicious.

I can offer a little background to the story of this print. Peacock Printmakers had the idea to ask artists to reinterpret the famous William Daniell aquatints of his 1820 series “Around the Coast of Scotland”. This was Don’s solution. He and Arthur Watson (Director of Peacock) hired a wee boat to take them out to Staffa with Don having driven them over to Mull. They were going to camp on this uninhabited island, but unfortunately the all-important tent poles had been left in the car. Using his initiative, Don used the tripod of his camera to at least give a small bit of height to the sagging canvas. It was raining too, but more drama was yet to come. As a light (theirs) had been seen on the island, an air-sea rescue helicopter had been sent to investigate. Don and Arthur had to wave it away before the “rescuer” had been lowered. The hovering helicopter image would have made Don’s day. “Things” always seemed to happen to Don.

7. Landscape Near Ullapool

Donald Addison, Landscape Near Ullapool, watercolour on paper, date unknown

This very dark and dramatic painting is unusual for Don, who in his mature style is always very light; and light handled with lots of details. This is much more vague, with the hillside so dense there is very little to be seen except for the suggestion of a derelict gable end and the mysterious, ghostly entangled shapes. They could be trees and branches, enclosed in an arc, definitely not of rainbow colours, but of a dark blue strip; and mechanically-drawn, scraped, uneven white lines with a little group of small flying birds.

The sky is typically Addison, if even more so than normal, with the drama bang in the centre, merging into the last of the blasted trees on the crest of the hill. There are a lot of techniques and images employed here, from the gentle, soft-edged clouds to the variety of vigorous stripes. It feels like a thunderstorm with stair rods of rain at the only harsh-angled area in the whole picture, perhaps echoing the gable end? The whole sky flows beautifully with sweeping waves and curves, with a pale yellowish-ness to the left and bottom right, and the threatening darkness of the top. A delightful small touch of pale blue brings hope of better weather to come.

This picture must have been a joy to do. It feels as though he is enjoying himself; with a pretty free range of expression, technique and experiment; just getting the essence of the moment down on paper. It has been a fine and pleasurable surprise for me to see this previously unknown painting.

8. Graveyard with Tree in Bloom

Donald Addison, Graveyard with Tree in Bloom, watercolour on paper, 1984

The painting is divided in two vertically; with the right half divided into three, horizontally: sky/hills/graveyard. A strong, simple construction allows Addison to explore and elaborate on all the sections in detail without distracting from the whole.

The three different tones and textures of the wall, beautifully observed and skilfully painted, along with the big upright gravestone, give a strong yet soft verticality; while the wall surrounding the graveyard takes the eye away and leads us along and round into the completely different feel of the landscape.

The middle section comprises a couple of green, rounded hills with some slightly darker bands of trees on both of the tops; and with the triangular shapes within these hills almost echoing some of the cloud formations.

The actual graveyard is bathed in gentle sunlight, as indicated by the shadows on the gravestones, shed and surrounding wall. But the almost circular shape of the tree in blossom is so different from the rest of the painting, it shows quite clearly that this is the real inspiration from the start. All the other “stuff” simply puts it in context: a lovely foil against the geometry. With his natural affinity for all things arboreal, he must have been delighted to see this particular tree in this particular environment, under what looks like almost perfect conditions.

9. Mural in BP Exploration Control Room at Dyce

Left to right: Trevor Reynolds(BP), Graeme Smart(Art Consultant), Donald Addison, Arthur Watson, in front of his mural in the BP offices, Dyce, 1990

Donald Addison, BP Mural, Panel One

The brief, as it emerged, was to brighten the working environment of the guys monitoring the flow of oil coming ashore at Cruden Bay and flowing down to the refinery at Grangemouth on the Forth. The control room was manned 24 hours every day.

Arthur Watson, Director of Peacock Printmakers, asked four artists to make proposals – Frances Walker, Alan Robb, Richard Demarco and Don Addison - with each given a design fee of £1000. Don very clearly remembers Frances Walker saying to him, “Why have you been asked to do this? You are not an artist, you are only a designer.”

A crew bus was hired and as well as seeing the control room, Don drove the length of the pipeline to Grangemouth. The BP Rep pointed out where the pipeline passed under the main road, marked by a pole on each side. A helicopter flew over the line each week to check for possible oil seeping through the ground. Apparently, under snow, this was a lot simpler as heat from the oil would melt a line on the surface.

A reception at BP was organised for the final choice to be made, and for the first time, all the control room staff were in the building for this (a relief crew had been brought in to cover) The decision was made by staff, and much to Don’s surprise, he’d won.

His solution was to depict key points on the whole route of the pipeline. Each under a different sky, and at different times of the year and different times of the day; from sunrise at St Fergus to dusk at Grangemouth. Additionally, the panels below showed local features including what could be happening underground (fossils and Pictish stones, etc); and locations such as Dunnottar Castle; The Brown and White Caterthuns under snow; and Kinnoull Hill with its folly and the River Tay running east to west.

The lower panels had the advantage of extending the size of the work to fill the height of the wall. The grid of panels allowed Don to vary the regularity of the horizontals which were also broken by the two end pieces being narrower. The images were printed on to a roll of Arches paper, then laminated onto panels with a matte lamination to protect the surface.

Don and Arthur experimented with blowing up granular graduations at various sizes, along with random watercolour washes (mainly used in the skies) and key line drawings with details of landforms, buildings, etc. These were produced in the darkroom by Arthur and Robin Wilson (photographer and whiz-kid art school technician); always on Sundays when things were quiet. One would handle the film and enlarger, the other processing the film, each role alternating weekly. Don would then collect all these pieces of film, cut them up and Sellotape them together. During printing, they would have fun blending ink, changing the colour through the granular patterns. This was a long and slow process, but Don was not known for his speed, and as usual, it was well worth waiting for. He also said that this commission had “been one that satisfied me quite a bit”. Nicely understated; typical of the man.

(Thank you to Arthur Watson PPRSA for his detailed help with this section and other wee insights.)

10. Concept maps and calligraphy

Donald Addison, Concept Map for Aberdeen Royal Infirmary Anaesthetic Room Ceiling Panels Design, 1995

Don says “I begin every project by making a concept map. Concept mapping procedures assist and accelerate the process of generating ideas”.

The one illustrated here shows his first thoughts on a proposal for an anaesthetic room’s ceiling panels. I’m not going to go into the details of this exciting project, but simply want to point out and enjoy the sheer artistry of how it has all been drawn and laid out without any preplanning, just letting ideas flow – absolutely amazing. The lightness, yet strength of his touch, is a real hallmark of all that Addison does, whether it be a print, painting, logo, postcard, or whatever. He is not only a skilled and inventive visual artist, but a man of poetry, in words and design.

Donald Addison, Postcards to Bel and Malcolm McCoig

Over the years, I have been lucky to receive many postcards from Don. These are not just the usual, “wish you were here” stuff, but beautifully written with great care, thought and layout. I have chosen four to give a feel of these wee calligraphic delights.

1. Paper Sky, one of his own company cards, Wed, 10 Aug 94: Two simple paragraphs written in black ink – written, meaning mostly printing with the odd joined-up letters and confident commas and even one colon all filling the space; and the occasional flamboyant “f”, “j”, “d” and “h”.

2. Sun, 26 May 10: Only half a card to write on, so some of the writing extends on its side. The left-hand reading top to bottom, the right-hand bottom to top to fit in with the card’s information image on the front of the postcard. “RAF Museum, Hendon A+”, he writes. Don would have been so happy to visit there as aircraft and flying was one of “his things”. Also mentioned was his visit to the Chelsea Physic Garden, yet another of “his things”. He enjoyed everything about gardening, and was very good at that too. A compact and informative note using just over 20 words.

3. Undated. Only six words this time, “Saffron Walden’s Fry Gallery a gem”, written on the back of a postcard featuring an Eric Ravilious watercolour of 1932/34. This gallery features the work of two of Don’s heroes, Ravilious and Edward Bawden.

4. Friday, 30 July 2004 (67 today): Unusually for Don there are two scorings-out. He was describing an installation I did at the Aberdeen Hospice, Roxburghe House. The front of the postcard was a photo of Dizzy Gillespie (as I had played trumpet too) blowing out, with his trademark puffed up cheeks, a huge birthday cake with many candles on it. The photo was called, “Yet Another Birthday”. Maybe the scorings out had something to do with Don’s birthday celebrations?

11. Two Minutes To Touchdown, 1996

Don Addison, Two Minutes to Touchdown, screenprint, 1996

In 1996, Don was commissioned by, he thinks, Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce, to do a set of prints based on a range of businesses in Aberdeen and the North East: Whisky, Fish, Paper, Farming, Baking, North Sea Oil. I have selected two for a more detailed look: this one, and “Thainstone Mart”

Don was excited to get the chance of a helicopter trip out to one of the North Sea oil installations. Again, anything to do with flight was one of his great pleasures. The horizon line shows the tilt of the approaching aircraft, also noted in the only warm spot of the gyroscope among the many dials and controls.

The print is basically green, grey and white with the very strong contrast between the pale softer shapes of the two figures and the dark straight and angular structure of the cockpit’s interior, with the extended arm of the pilot leading us right into the print’s upper centre, merging with the lively white clouds. It is a very strong composition, giving the feeling of the drama and excitement of approaching the helideck on the platform, a small area to aim for, and often in all sorts of conditions.

Later, Don was allowed back into the helicopter’s cockpit when it was on the ground at Dyce, allowing him plenty of time to draw and record the instrument panel with all its dials and switches, including the yellow details, almost echoing the helideck and the rig’s flare. The grey and white control box right in the centre and on the base line, along with the white fingers and thumb of the co-pilot, allow the composition to flow freely round in a satisfying curve.

The white clouds, ranging from very small just above the horizon to the big central burst, are mainly white paper with pale purple shadows. Addison’s skies are usually a feast for the eye, but here their simplicity contrasts well with the harshness of the aircraft’s interior. A sense of movement, or flying, is achieved by the jagged overprinting round the top of the sky.

Compared with the other prints in this series, for example, his bakery, “The Shortbread Line”, or “New Paper”, this one shows his pleasure in the subject matter and his joy in actually flying to achieve the end result.