Oliver Preston Mall galleries 2016

Sporting, Shooting, and Skiing Cartoons

10th -15th October, 2016 The Mall Galleries, London SW1 Open daily 10am - 5pm

oliverpreston.com

“The British sense of humour is alive and well’”

Sporting, Shooting and Skiing Cartoons 10th - 15th OCTOBER, 2016

The Threadneedle Space The Mall Galleries, London SW1 All works are for sale on release of this e-catalogue on Friday 7th October, 2016 Please contact: oliverpreston@btinternet.com, or call 01666 502638, or 07850 303009.

The Mall Galleries The Mall, London SW1 +44(0) 1666 502638 oliverpreston@btinternet.com

Shooting , skiing and sport are all subjects that lend themselves to cartooning. Libby Purves writes, “Of all human activities, skiing is probably the most suitable for cartoons. The postures ungainly, the shapes arresting, the perils illimitable, the social activities worryingly cheese-bound, and the opportunities for international misunderstanding are unmatchable.”

Skiing in the Alps just had to be a British invention - attaching two planks of wood to your feet, and launching yourself head first down a snowy ridge might be exhilarating to the expert, but for the beginner it must seem plain barmy. Similarly lunatic steering of a sledge down a tunnel of ice has something of the bravura of the Charge of the Light Brigade. I have drawn cartoons of winter sports for a decade. It is a fine seam of humour, especially as skiing these days is as much about the lunch, and après ski, as it is about people’s heartbreaking fascination with negotiating pistes and trees.

I haven’t had artistic training, so I am afraid what you see is what you get - a style that has developed from observing others, and drawing for The Field Magazine these past 20 years. Many of the cartoons in this exhibition come from my two slots in the magazine, Another Country and Your Grace, and I am fortunate that editor, Jonathan Young, allows me to populate them with my shooting stereotypes.

I was taught to shoot, aged eleven, at my uncle’s boy’s shoots. If we were lucky the bag would be 50 birds, followed by a jolly lunch with beaters and friends. The changing demographics of those who shoot today mean bigger bags, and more professional big shots, but the inimitable characters and the camaraderie of the shoots is still the same; the need to perform on the day, to be seen to be a good shot, to wear the right clothes, to behave correctly, and to talk the talk with the other guns. With florid faces they like a good laugh, and make jokes out in the field. With Edwardian plus fours, and garnished with tweed caps there are wonderful caricatures, yet I get many ideas from both sides of the line: the banter of the beaters (‘the guns’ shooting is rubbish....’); the gun dogs

faces (‘you really expect me to pick that up ?’) ; and of course the hosts (‘What do you mean you shot my white pheasant?).

For this exhibition I have drawn some new present day professional big shots - the accountants and fund managers, the barristers and financiers who now appear everywhere on the shooting field.

In 2016 I illustrated a new book, Raise Your Game, written by sports writer Ian Valentine. He revels in the language of sport: why do snowboarders like bonking more than cyclists? Why is a bogey no longer a par?

An Adolf in golf is two shots in the bunker, and you can catch a crab in rowing. During the Tour de France it is not good to be pedalling with your ears, but in basketball it is great to do an Alley-oop.

So there you have it. Other sports are absurd too, and as ever, I have tried to bring out their funny side. Winning can get to be a habit, and so can losing, but there is always a funny side to the wipeouts and falls, and miss hits and air shots. I do think so. And remember. The trouble with jogging is that the wine spills out of your glass....

OLIVER PRESTON is exhibiting his “New and Recent Work” at the Threadneedle Space, THE MALL GALLERIES, London SW1, from Monday 10th October to Saturday 15th October 2016.

Opening times: 10 am -5.00pm. Admission free.

Originals will be for sale from 10 am on 7th October, on receipt of e-catalogue, or at The Mall Galleries and oliverpreston.com Oliver Preston Cartoons Beverston Press Limited Park Farm Studios, Beverston, Tetbury, Glos GL8 8TT TEL: 0044 (0)1666 502638 FAX: 0044 (0)1666 505905 VATNo. 979 9460 37 Company Regd. No. 7031853

Shooting Every day | 390mm x 130mm | �500 | Publ. The Field Magazine

Bad Heir day | 390mm x 130mm | �500 | Publ. The Field Magazine

Go Fishing Instead | 390mm x 130mm | �500 | Publ. The Field Magazine

1

“Patent. John Sievers Jr. 1897. ‘Duck Shooting Hide Shaped like a Cow.’” 270mm x 350mm | �1,200 The Imperfect Shot (Quiller, 2015)

“Phexit” 270mm x 350mm | �1,800 | Publ. The Field Magazine Greeting Card (Beverston Press, 2016)

2

“The trouble with jogging is that the wine spills out of your glass.”

270mm x 350mm | �1,200 | Publ. The Field Magazine

“Why don’t YOU tell him to sit down and shut up?”

270mm x 350mm | �1,200 | Publ. The Field Magazine Raise Your Game (Quiller, 2016)

3

“New balls please.”

200mm x 280mm | �800 | Publ. The Field Magazine Raise Your Game (Quiller, 2016)

“What are you looking so smug about” 270mm x 350mm | �1,200 | Publ. The Field Magazine Raise Your Game (Quiller, 2016)

4

“What’s wrong with me becoming more and more like my mother every day?”

270mm x 350mm | �1,800 | Publ. The Field Magazine Rich Pickings (Beverston Press, 2014)

5

“Well, it makes a change from discussing schools and house prices.”

270mm x 350mm | �1,800 | Publ. The Field Magazine Greeting Card (Beverston Press, 2016)

“Why do we always run out of milk? Daddy never runs out of wine.”

270mm x 350mm | �1,800 | Publ. The Field Magazine Greeting Card (Beverston Press, 2016)

“Panic Over. We’ve found our glasses.”

270mm x 350mm | �1,800 | Publ. The Field Magazine Rich Pickings (Beverston Press, 2014)

6

7

PROFESSIONAL BIG SHOTS

“No Cigar” 130mm x 130mm | �400 | Publ. The Field Magazine The Imperfect Shot (Quiller, 2015)

8

THE BARRISTER’S SHOOT

“The accused grew up on a very rough estate. There was a lot of shooting.”

465mm x 290mm | �2,800

9

THE FUND MANAGER’S SHOOT

“Well, at least your performance is up 100% on last year.”

465mm x 290mm | �2,800

10

THE HEDGE FUND SHOOT

“I’m not sure which is more important, high birds, or showing off his helicopter.”

465mm x 290mm | �2,800

11

THE ACCOUNTANT’S SHOOT

“ What an amazing coincidence, I’m looking at your file as we speak.”

465mm x 290mm | �2,800

12

THE CORPORATE FINANCE SHOOT

“It’s not that big a deal.”

465mm x 290mm | �2,800

13

THE EUROPEAN BANKER’S SHOOT

“Well, at least you didn’t shoot the white pheasant.”

465mm x 290mm | �2,800

14

THE OILY SHOOT

“That went well.”

465mm x 290mm | �2,800

15

THE INSURANCE SHOOT

“I’m not covered for being killed by one of your low flying birds.”

465mm x 290mm | �2,800

16

“The Morning After.”

400mm x 580mm | �4,800 | Publ. Gstaad My Love Magazine

17

18

“I thought you said your friends could ski.”

270mm x 350mm | �1,200

“I’m afraid this lunch is about to go downhill.”

270mm x 350mm | �1,200

19

“And after lunch we’re doing the Wasserngrat, the Wispile and the Videmanette.”

400mm x 580mm | �4,800

20

“You’ll never guess WHO we’ve just seen from the chairlift.”

270mm x 350mm | �1,200

“Darling, is that YOU having a pee behind the ski lift?”

270mm x 350mm | �1,200

21

“No, I said POUR.” 270mm x 350mm | �1,800 | Publ. The Field Magazine Rich Pickings (Beverston Press, 2014)

“Damn flowers again. Never a bottle of gin.”

270mm x 350mm | �1,200 | Publ. The Field Magazine Greeting Card (Beverston Press, 2016)

22

“Did anyone see where that went?”

270mm x 350mm | �1,200 | Publ. The Field Magazine Rich Pickings (Beverston Press, 2014)

“Since the children have left home the wife really looks forward to a bit of quality golf with me.”

270mm x 350mm | �1,200 | Publ. Raise Your Game (Beverston Press, 2016)

23

“Touchdown” 200mm x 200mm | �400 | Publ. Raise Your Game (Beverston Press, 2016)

“Come back you cowards. I haven’t finished with you yet!”

270mm x 350mm | �800 | Publ. Raise Your Game (Beverston Press, 2016)

24

“American Football” 270mm x 350mm | �800 | Publ. Raise Your Game (Beverston Press, 2016)

“So much for our star player.”

270mm x 350mm | �1,200 | Publ. Raise Your Game (Beverston Press, 2016)

25

“For goodness sake, can we have an umpire with twenty-twenty vision?”

“If he doesn’t get any better, he’s for the High Jump.”

270mm x 350mm | �1,200 | Publ. Raise Your Game (Beverston Press, 2016) 270mm x 350mm | �1,200 | Publ. Raise Your Game (Beverston Press, 2016)

26

Frightfully good legs | 390mm x 130mm | �500 | Publ. The Field Magazine

Left and Right | 390mm x 130mm | �500 | Publ. The Field Magazine

Elder brother | 390mm x 130mm | �500 | Publ. The Field Magazine

27

“What’s the point of all my training if that petty criminal keeps stealing all my birds ?”

270mm x 350mm | �1,800 | Publ. The Field Magazine

“Well, at least he brought his own loaders.”

270mm x 350mm | �1,200 | Publ. The Field Magazine The Imperfect Shot (Quiller, 2015)

28

“...and if you could please pick up your cartridges at the end of the drive.”

270mm x 350mm | �1,800 | Publ. The Field Magazine The Imperfect Shot (Quiller, 2015)

29

“..and when he answers, we all fly over him at the same time.”

270mm x 350mm | �1,800 | Publ. The Field Magazine The Imperfect Shot (Quiller, 2015)

“There’s no use pretending they’re yours.

They were all shot by the gun next door.”

270mm x 350mm | �1,800 | Publ. The Field Magazine The Imperfect Shot (Quiller, 2015)

“You may have trouble recognising your father, as he’s always away shooting.”

270mm x 350mm | �1,800 | Publ. The Field Magazine

30

“You know you said you had got out of looking after the children ?”

270mm x 350mm | �1,200 | Publ. The Field Magazine The Imperfect Shot (Quiller, 2015)

“No, I insist. Ladies first.”

270mm x 350mm | �1,200 | Publ. The Field Magazine How to be Asked Again (Quiller, 2009)

31

“I don’t think you’ve met . They’re terribly horsey.”

270mm x 350mm | �1,200 | Publ. The Field Magazine Another Log on the Fire (Beverston Press, 2011)

“Has anything been moved?”

260mm x 340mm | �1,200 | Publ. The Field Magazine Shall we join the Men? (Beverston Press, 2005)

32

“ Out in the field” 280mm x 110mm | �300 How to be Asked Again (Quiller, 2009)

“Eye to eye” 160mm x 160mm | �300 | Publ. The Field Magazine The Imperfect Shot (Quiller, 2015)

33

“...only if you give us the new code for the ipad.”

270mm x 350mm | �1,800 | Publ. The Field Magazine Greeting Card (Beverston Press, 2015)

“That reminds me. You’re seeing your brother this weekend.”

270mm x 350mm | �1,200 | Publ. The Field Magazine Greeting Card (Beverston Press, 2015)

34

“The Post Mortem.”

2500mm x 350mm | �400 | Publ. The Field Magazine Notelet (Beverston Press, 2014)

“I might have mentioned that they need to be fit to play Bridge.”

270mm x 230mm | �1,200 | Publ. The Field Magazine Greeting Card (Beverston Press, 2016)

35

“Look after the millions and the hundreds of millions will look after themselves.”

270mm x 350mm | �1,200 | Publ. The Field Magazine

36

“I’ve been awfully clever, I’ve managed to print the internet.”

270mm x 350mm | �1,200 | Publ. The Field Magazine Greeting Card (Beverston Press, 2015)

“Please don’t talk whilst I’m interrupting.”

270mm x 350mm | �1,200 | Publ. The Field Magazine Shall we join the Men? (Beverston Press, 2005)

“I’m sure she would have got in had the exam been called something a little more upmarket.”

270mm x 350mm | �1,200 | Publ. The Field Magazine Shall we join the Men? (Beverston Press, 2005)

37

M&A (uncaptioned) 380mm x 560mm | �3,000

38

“How the French captured South Ken.” 400mm x 580mm | �3,000

39

40

“Whose bright idea was it to go round the house turning off lights?.”

270mm x 350mm | �1,200

“No, no, quite wrong. NOT fishing on the Test.

My husband was bidding on a week in Barbados.”

270mm x 350mm | �1,200

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Publications by Oliver Preston

Mall Galleries The Mall, London SW1

Liquid Limericks T KE AR YM HA

with Alastair Sampson | Robson Books, 2001

PICCADILLY CIRCUS ER W LO

Larder Limericks

ND

RA

GE NT

Shall we join the Men?

ST LL PA

TE WA PL

TO RL

AC E

How to be Asked Again

17

HUMB

ERLAN

T

D AVE

ADMIRALTY ARCH

L AL

E MH

ST

CHARING CROSS

NORT

RC

S

CE

LA

LP

AL

H ITE

WH

O

RS

E

ST JAMES’S PARK

with Rosie Nickerson | Quiller Books, 2009

SPU

L IE AL ER M ALL G

TH

Beverston Press, 2008

CK

RR

TE

HO

ICA

R ST

CO

ALL ITEH WH

N

OO

Hitting the Slopes

P E US

CA

TH

KSPU

MA

RL

with Charlie Ottley | Constable Robinson, 2006

COC

LL

Beverston Press, 2005

Modern Cautionary Verses

E

TRAFALGAR SQUARE

RE

with Alastair Sampson | Anova Books, 2004

NATIONAL GALLERY

GU

AR

DS

RD

A bookshop and café are available to make your visit to Mall Galleries even more enjoyable.

Out of Town Beverston Press, 2010

OPENING HOURS

Out for a Duck

Daily, 10am – 5pm during exhibitions and until 4pm on Saturdays.

with Ian Valentine | Quiller Books, 2010

Fondue and Furs Beverston Press, 2011

Another Log on the Fire Beverston Press, 2011

Real Men Drink Port with Ben Howkins | Quiller Books, 2011

Rich Pickings Beverston Press, 2013

Published by Beverston Press Limited, Tetbury Copyright © Oliver Preston All rights reserved

The Imperfect Shot with Jeremy Hobson | Quiller 2015

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronis, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without prior written permission of Beverston Press Limited

Lively Limericks with Patrick Holden | Beverston Press 2015

Raise Your Game

Design: simon@boinggraphics.co.uk

with Ian Valentine | Quiller 2016

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BEVERSTON PRESS