David Vaughan (artist)

David Vaughan (8 May 1944 - 4 December 2003) was a psychedelic artist who formed the design team Binder, Edwards & Vaughan (BEV) and the father of actress Sadie Frost. He obtained commissions for his psychedelic painted furniture from HRH Princess Margaret, did work for the Beatles in the early 1960s. He also worked for Expo 67 and Lord John in Carnaby Street, while David Bailey (photographer) used his work for a series of posters. He was also in charge of London's Roundhouse, where he booked Jimi Hendrix for his first British gig for the grand sum of £50.

Vaughan was born in Manchester, Lancashire, England, the son of two factory workers, he studied art in Ashton-under-Lyne and Bradford where Binder & Edwards were fellow students before moving to London to take up the offer of a place at the prestigious Slade School of Fine Art. On leaving art school, he set up a very successful design team, inviting Binder and Edwards from Bradford to join him. For several years during the mid '60s they produced customised cars & furniture. Vaughan was invited to America by Macey's dept store to demonstrate his techniques, as Artist in Residence. He was also approached by the chairman of Pan Am who wanted some jets customising. He travelled across the USA in his customised Buick 6, promoting Swinging London.

On returning to Britain, he accepted a commission to paint a giant psychedelic mural on the exterior 3 story high wall of a building on Carnaby St. which housed the Lord John Boutique. While he was working from a cradle on the giant mural, a visitor let one of the securing ropes go, plunging the cradle down 3 storeys, and landing on the ground with Vaughan trapped under the visitor. He appeared unhurt but suffered an undiagnosed head injury. Instead of taking him to hospital to be examined, his friends gave him some LSD to "calm him down" which in fact flipped his mind. He then spent three years as a down and out, suffering from Manic Depression, which he suffered from for the rest of his life.

He eventually got his life back on track with a new wife, to whom he was married for over 30 years. He rejected the "London scene" and moved back to Manchester, where he became the country's most prolific mural artist, during the 70's & early 80's. He formed the mural group "Noah's Ark", which as well as producing mural art for the under-privileged in youth clubs, schools, churches and hospitals (he painted the first British hospital mural at The Duchess of York's Hospital for Babies in Manchester), but also offered young and disadvantaged people the opportunity to study mural painting first hand.

During the 70's he employed a variety of young people to assist and learn how to produce a mural whilst also completing many private commissions - re-creating on a smaller scale some of the success he achieved in the 60's. These included customized shops - Barretts Music shop on Oxford Rd became a mecca for art/music students who visited the shop to see the huge portraits of Jazz and Blues musicians adorning the walls, which were just a part of the complete makeover he gave the premises in '74. In the mid 80's he started to produce his "Victims" series of paintings - which depicted some of the horrors of modern society, and which were found to be quite controversial at the time. In his later career he returned to painting portraits - Lennon, Dylan, Gallagher and also pencil portraits of David Beckham and Jude Law.

Vaughan died whilst awaiting a liver transplant.

Link to Obituary: http://www.tamesideadvertiser.co.uk/news/s/383554_sadies_dad_dies

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Name	Vaughan, David
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Date of birth	8 May 1944
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Date of death	4 December 2003
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