Jonathon Coudrille facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jonathon Coudrille
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Coudrille in 2009
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| Born | November 1945 Birmingham, England
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| Alma mater | Penzance School of Art |
| Occupation | Broadcaster, musician, artist, writer |
| Parent(s) | Francis Coudrill (father) |
Jonathon Xavier Coudrille (born Jonathan Coudrill in November 1945) is a talented English artist, musician, and writer. He grew up and still lives on the beautiful Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall, England. His father, Francis Coudrill, was also an artist and a ventriloquist. In 2011, Jonathon started a group of artists called the Lizard Stuckists.
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Jonathon Coudrille's Career
Jonathon Coudrille is known as a polymath. This means he is skilled in many different areas, like art, music, and writing.
Broadcasting Work
Jonathon started his career in broadcasting when he was 17. He had a show called Young Tomorrow on Westward Television. He also worked on BBC Radio's Today programme.
Later, he moved to Southern Television. There, he was the musical director for a time. His broadcasting career stopped suddenly in 1972. He was in a serious car accident that injured his spine.
Art and Illustrations
Jonathon studied painting at the Penzance School of Art. He learned from John Tunnard, a famous English surrealist artist.
In 1971, Jonathon created the artwork for the rock band Fuzzy Duck's first album. He also illustrated A Fresh Wind in the Willows by Dixon Scott. This book was a sequel to The Wind in the Willows. It was published in 1983.
During the 1990s, Jonathon's art was shown at the Royal Academy in London. In 2004, his work was part of The Stuckists Punk Victorian show. This show was at the Walker Art Gallery during the Liverpool Biennial.
Some of his recent art is in the Falmouth Art Gallery. This includes a photo artwork called Analogue of Surreal Nostalgia from 2005. Jonathon was also interviewed about his life and paintings for a TV show. It was called John Nettles' Westcountry on Sky Arts.
Music and Compositions
Jonathon Coudrille is a multi-instrumentalist. This means he plays many instruments. He plays and writes music for guitar, banjo, piano, organ, and trumpet. He especially loves jazz, Russian, and gypsy music.
In the 1960s, Jonathon played music in Soho. During his time in broadcasting, he wrote music for TV and radio. His guitar playing of Recuerdos de la Alhambra was the theme song for the show Out of Town.
In 1974, he won the Melody Maker national folk contest. He was named the top rock-folk soloist. Later, in the 1980s, he performed his guitar piece Caballeta Suite with the National Symphony Orchestra. This was at the Royal Festival Hall in London.
Today, he plays in two bands. He is a member of Gwelhellin Goth, a jazz band from Cornwall. He also plays in Muzika Muzikantov, a Russian folk music duo.
Writing for Children
After his car accident, Jonathon started writing and illustrating children's books. This helped him recover from his spinal injury. It led him to become an award-winning author and illustrator.
His first illustrated alphabet book, A Beastly Collection, came out in 1974. It was published by Frederick Warne & Co, who also published Beatrix Potter's books. The book was highly praised.
His second book, Farmer Fisher (1975), was a best seller. It won the UK Children's Book of The Year award in 1976. Farmer Fisher was one of the first picture books in the UK to include a record.
