Greaves married Margaret Johnson, a nurse, in 1950 and in 1956 she gave birth to their first child, Simon, soon to be followed by Julia and Daniel. Images of his wife and oldest son would dominate his work of 1956 and its presentation in exhibitions in London that year.
The paintings of his children, such as First Steps (1956), Simon Martin Greaves (1958) and Anna Julia Greaves (1958), used paint in a post-Cézanne way, with colours mixed on a palette or plate dabbed on a bit at a time.
Derrick Greaves
Simon Martin Greaves
Oil on canvas on board
43.5 x 89.5 cms (17.10 x 35.17 ins)
1958
Signed, titled and dated on the reverse
Sold
Exhibited:
Derrick Greaves: Paintings and drawings 1952-2002, James Hyman FIne Art, London 12 March-9 May 2003
Derrick Greaves, Paintings and Drawings 1952 - 2002, James Hyman Gallery, 28 January - 4 March 2005.
New Directions. Painting and Drawings by Michael Andrews, Peter de Francia, Derrick Greaves and Robert Medley, James Hyman Gallery, London, 3 February - 17 March 2006.
Literature:
Derrick Greaves: Paintings and Drawings 1952 - 2002, James Hyman Gallery, London, 2003, (cat. 19), illustrated p.15.