Reformed criminal who spent three years in prison for armed robbery reveals he discovered painting after seeing a Turner piece which 'reminded him of LSD trip' - and now sells his work for £2,000
- Jack Murton, 63, from London, was in prison for armed robbery in 1980s
- Fellow inmate showed him The Fighting Temeraire by William Turner
- Colours reminded him of an LSD trip he had aged 13 and he became obsessed
- Moved to Blantyre House where he became a painter and sells work for £2,000
A former prisoner who took up painting in prison has revealed how he was inspired to change his life after he saw a painting by William Turner which reminded him of an LSD trip he had as a 13-year-old.
Jack Murton, 63, from London, was in and out of prison from the age of 12 and spent three years in the late 1980s locked up after he was convicted of armed robbery.
Appearing on This Morning today, he said his life felt hopeless until his cellmate showed him The Fighting Temeraire by William Turner and he became obsessed with the painting's colours.
The artist vowed to transform his life, taking up painting while in Blantyre House prison, and now sells his work for between £500-£2,000.
He credits the institution with saving his life, saying: 'Without that place, there's a very strong possibility I'd still be banged up or dead.'
Jack Murton, 63, from London, has revealed how he was inspired to change his life after he saw a painting by William Turner which reminded him of an LSD trip he had as a 13-year-old
Appearing on This Morning, he described how he transformed his life when he took up painting while in prison, and now sells his work for up to £2,000
Jack's offences ranged from arson to grievous bodily harm and by the time he was in his late 20s, he said he felt as though he was 'disappearing as a person.'
In 1984 he was jailed for 12 years for an armed robbery of a Securior van and was sent to Maidstone prison.
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It was then his interest in art was peaked, with Jack explaining: 'I was sitting in a cell with two friends, older than me and they were getting all these catalogues from Christie's and Sotheby's.
'They were sophisticated guys. One was friends with Lucien Freud.'
His offences ranged from arson to grievous bodily harm and by the time he was in his late 20s, he said he felt as though he was 'disappearing as a person' (pictured in 1999)
He began looking through the catalogues and came across the 'wonderful' painting The Fighting Temeraire by William Turner.
He said: 'I'll be honest with you, the colours reminded me of when I was 13, I took an LSD tablet and saw all these wonderful colours.'
Jack said he 'couldn't get the painting out of his mind' and began looking at other kinds of artwork.
He vowed if he 'ever get out of this place' he would start painting.
The artist said his life felt hopeless until his cellmate showed him The Fighting Temeraire by William Turner and he became obsessed with the painting's colours (pictured)
Jack was taken to Blantyre house in 1988, where he said the ethos was 'You're lucky to be here. What you mustn't do is do nothing. Use your time. Use this place, use us.'
Calling the prison 'remarkable', he said: 'There was very little structure there. The criteria to get there was you weren't kicking off all the time, you were very civilized.'
The inmates weren't locked up at night and were allowed to wonder around the house and have cars, so they could leave the prison for their jobs.
In Blantyre, Jack developed his art skills, first copying others and then composing his own.
His first painting sold to a Tunbridge Wells couple for £130 while in prison, and now his work can fetch up to £2,000
He told Kent Online: 'Every day and every night I used to paint in the art room in there. I fell in love with art.'
His first painting sold to a Tunbridge Wells couple for £130 while in prison, and now his work can fetch up to £2,000.
