They were hidden at the bottom of a box, tied with string with a note suggesting they should be thrown out. But they turned out to be a number of paintings by renowned Manx artist Robert Creer which survived in remarkably good condition considering they had lain in an airing cupboard for years. They were sent to Kate Keown – the great granddaughter of Creer – after the death of Beryl Creer who was the widow of the artist’s eldest grandson Raymond.
This is the second set of paintings by Creer discovered in a cupboard which ended up in Kate’s possession. The previous set of 50 paintings were turned into a book called Gold-Dust and Calm published more than 15 years ago. Kate had hoped to turn the latest paintings – almost 30 – into a new book but those plans fell through when the publisher decided against the idea.
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‘I then got a call from her estate asking if I would like a box c.