Charles Paine’s accomplishments are wide-ranging.   They include stained glass, poster design, book illustration, watercolour and acrylic painting, interior design, commercial advertising, textile and wallpaper design, and inspirational teaching and clearly identify him as a polymath in the Arts and Crafts tradition.

Charles Paine in his studio at No. 7 Gorey Pier, St. Martin’s, Jersey c.1957                        (The artist is holding a stick of charcoal.)

Chronology of Charles Paine’s life

1895                                                                                                                                                   Born on 23 October at 25 Charles Street,  Pendleton, Lancashire, in   the District of Salford, the eldest child of Charles Paine (senior) and Fanny Godwin.                       1911                                                                                                                                            Enrolled at the Salford School of Art and was apprenticed to the craft of making stained glass. Attended evening classes at the Manchester Municipal School of Art.                                                                                                                                 1915-1919                                                                                                                                    Studied at the Royal College of Art for a total of six terms, his attendance being interrupted by war service with the Admiralty Inspection Section 1917/18.   Awarded a National Scholarship.   Graduated A.R.C.A.                                                                                                      1916                                                                                                                                                            First exhibited at the Royal Academy, a design for a stained glass window.                                                                                                                                                 1919                                                                                                                                         Appointed Head of the Department of Applied Arts at the Edinburgh College of Arts.   Here befriended Frank Morley Fletcher, the Director of the ECA, and John Platt.                                                                                                                                      1920                                                                                                                                             Married Marian Jane Nelson at St. Stephen’s Green Church in Dublin.   They had one child, a son, Nelson.                                                                                                                                1921                                                                                                                                    Commissioned by Frank Pick to design posters for the London Underground.   During the 1920’s he produced more than twenty.                                                                                               Appointed Director of the Art Department, responsible for antiques and interior, at Guthrie & Wells in Glasgow.   His principal creative work at this time was in stained glass.                                                                                                                             1922-51                                                                                                                                   Associated with the Glasgow School of Art as visiting teacher and Adjudicator of Advanced Design Diploma Exams.                                                                         1923                                                                                                                                                Joined Morton Sundour with responsibility for the firm’s advertising and to bring new ideas to the design of both woven and printed textiles.                                  1924                                                                                                                                         Appointed Head of the Applied Arts Department of the Community Arts in Santa Barbara, California, where Frank Morley Fletcher was the Director.          1925                                                                                                                                           Returned to England to engage in private practice and research work.                                     Designed posters for numerous organisations including the Empire Marketing Board, Shell Mex and the London Underground.                                                                                          Resumed contact with Morton Sundour.                                                                                           Taught Summer School course at the Royal College of Art.                                                           Appointed Chief Assessor of the Final Diploma at the four Scottish examination centres, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen.                                                      1929                                                                                                                                           Returned to Santa Barbara to organise a School of Creative Design (applied to Industrial Mass Production).                                                                                                                          Gave a course of lectures for teachers at Berkeley, UC.                                                                  Visiting teacher at Santa Barbara High School for Girls, the Kate School for Boys, Ojai         Valley School Co-Educational.                                                                                                              Lectured at the California School of Fine and Applied Art.                              1931                                                                                                                                           Returned to England to resume private practice and research work.                                         Appointed Visiting teacher at the Blackheath School of Art where John Platt was part-time Principal.   The appointment terminated in 1940.                                                                  Produced a series of drawings for Russian (U.S.S.R.) Oil Products Ltd.          1932-34                                                                                                                                            Royal College of Needlework.   Appointed to re-organise the Training School Design and Drawing classes.                                                                                                                                      1932                                                                                                                                         Appointed (September) second master and Head of the Department of Applied Design at the Sheffield College of Art.   Resigned 22 December due to the expansion of his Blackheath classes.                                                                                                          1934-1948                                                                                                                              Associated with the psychologist Eric Graham Howe;  illustrated Morality and Reality 1934 and I and Me 1935.   Lectured to the Time Club under Dr. Howe’s chairmanship.   Discussion centring on J.W. Dunne’s An Experiment with Time (pub. 1927).                                                                                                                                               Responsible for the creative angle of the publicity of Welwyn Garden City Ltd.   Date of appointment uncertain.   Living at 43 Longcroft Lane, Welwyn, in 1936.                                  Nonesuch Press – experiments for Francis Meynell in the use of common newspaper screens applied to book illustrations.   Sea Sequel 1934.                                                                 Glasgow Exhibition Cable Ship Display 1938.   Other publicity material for the Post Office including a Greetings Telegram 1938.                                                                                                National Savings posters and other forms of war propaganda.                                                   Book illustrations including English Today by Ronald Ridout 1947.                                            1942                                                                                                                                               Married Anna Luther in September at Marylebone.                                          1948                                                                                                                                               Moved to Jersey with Anna and lived at 7 Gorey Pier.   Continued work on private commissions. Painted a series of watercolours printed as post cards.                                                                 1957                                                                                                                                                                     Designed  Sir Peter Mackie memorial window St. Ninian’s Scottish Episcopal Church, Troon.   Made by Guthrie & Wells.                                                                           1960                                                                                                                                                              Anna died.                                                                                                                  1962                                                                                                                                             Married Joan Jefferies Bolshaw at Holy Trinity Church, Horwich, Lancashire, on 18 October.                                                                                                                       1967                                                                                                                                                            Died at La Guerdainerie Cottage, Trinity, Jersey.