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Paul Carter, 1970-2006

Paul Carter died in a car crash yesterday near Edinburgh. We were inseparable as kids.

He was an inspired artist, even when I knew him. I’ll never forget him asking of his ZX Spectrum: How do I get more colours from this?

Stewart and Paul, 1983

This is me and Paul (right) in the summer of 1983. Paul was wearing his Beatles t-shirt, as usual; I think he’d just painted his bedroom wall with scenes from Yellow Submarine. We were just about to set out on a sponsored cycle. We belted round the track at Crookfur Park until everyone else had gone home, leaving one poor hapless lap-counting volunteer waiting in the dusk.

Some of Paul’s artwork on the web:

Update, 21 Aug: Paul’s funeral is this Friday in Joppa at St Philip’s Church, Joppa Road at 10.30 am. There is a wake in the church hall after until 1pm. Thanks to Chris Hill and John Beagles for finding this.

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This entry was posted on Sunday, August 13th, 2006 at 10:19:30 and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

28 Responses to “Paul Carter, 1970-2006”

  1. Kenny Andrew Says:
    August 15th, 2006 at 15:59:37
    Hey Paul ,I cant believe I spoke to you on Thusday after not seeing you in years.I only found out today what happened.As I said to Dave Robb today you were one of the good guys.God Bless you.Your Friend Kenny Andrew.
  2. Chris Hill Says:
    August 17th, 2006 at 17:30:31
    Heard yesterday - very sad. This is the first reference I have found on the web.

    One of my tutors at ECA - different (in a good way).

    We talked about art and bicycles. So apt that you have that photo

  3. peter gannon Says:
    August 17th, 2006 at 18:42:44
    paul was a very nice man, with alot of time for his students, always enthusiastic and positive-inspiring.a very sad loss.my deepest sympathys to his family and friends.
  4. cycling edinburgh .info » Blog Archive » Paul Carter 1970-2006 Says:
    August 18th, 2006 at 04:14:27
    [...] One friend from childhood, (and former Glasgow cycle campaigner), Stewart Russell has a tribute on his own blog where this photo of Paul at 13 came from. [...]
  5. Jude Gordon Says:
    August 18th, 2006 at 04:50:40
    Paul had time for everyone, a unique and genuine guy and a brilliant artist who was an inspiration to us all. Deeply saddened by this news, my thoughts go out to your family and friends. Your smile and enthusiasm will be greatly missed.
  6. david robb Says:
    August 18th, 2006 at 15:34:29
    well what can isay,best drummer,mod ,friend,little sisters boyfriend,introduced me to fitz,backgamon,stone roses,… i gave him hope/ most missed
  7. dan willson Says:
    August 19th, 2006 at 17:07:14
    im gonna miss him. im pleased to find someone put this sad news on their blog, i hadn’t been able to bring myself to do it but it’s comforting to read other people remember him as i do.
  8. Rabiya Choudhry Says:
    August 24th, 2006 at 10:22:39
    Gonna miss him loads..still really shocked, it hasn’t quite sunk in yet,, he was one of the best tutor’s i ever had but a bloody good pal in aw, gonna miss you ya mad nut! i remember years ago he said to me..’RAb,,,you wanna know what art is…have you seen total recall!…now thats art!!
    what a guy!

    all my love

    xxxrab

  9. Chris Hill Says:
    August 25th, 2006 at 14:53:06
    Funeral service was very fine. Packed church - well over 400 people. Paul’s favourite songs played. Appropriate and moving words from Minister, parents, Kate and friends.

    Cardboard coffin taken away in a motorcycle hearse sidecar.

    I don’t think I was alone in hoping it was all an elaborate hoax.

    Paul was there - on video, being an artist and in all our memories.

  10. scruss Says:
    August 26th, 2006 at 11:11:14
    My dad sent me this yesterday:

    The service was held in the church close to where he and Kate lived and was attended by a very large number of people - at least 200. It was not a conventional service, as you would expect. Everyone was given a postcard with a small hole in it and the message “A hole to see the sky through - Yoko Ono”. Paul’s son, Blake, was there. He is 5 and went to school on Wednesday for the first time and is identical to the Paul Mum and I remember up at Nethybridge (when we shared a chalet with the Carters and Paul put his clothes on during the night because he was so cold). After the service, the immediate family went off to the Crematorium (with the coffin in a small hearse attached to a motorbike) and the rest of us repaired to the church halls where there was a lot of food (and drink) plus a video of some of Paul’s work running. We stayed for about an hour but did not wait for the return of the family. It looked as though the wake would last for a long time and I’m not sure what the douce citizens of Joppa would make of the large number of people sitting out on the grass outide the church drinking wine and smoking. It is what Paul would have liked, I’m sure.

  11. charlotte watters Says:
    August 26th, 2006 at 18:29:14
    really tragic, still such a shock. very moving funeral servace, it helped to realise what had happened, but stil cant really belive it. my best tutor
    all my love to his family
  12. alex hetherington Says:
    August 29th, 2006 at 10:58:08
    This is such a sad loss; i only met Paul once and was charmed by his enthusiasm, intellect and wit. Bloody good artist too. Thanks Paul. x
  13. Lisa Brown Says:
    August 31st, 2006 at 08:12:44
    What an amazing man. He was full of genuine enthusiasm and oozed inspiration, he was one of those people you love to be around.

    I’m glad to have met him.

    Here’s to camping out on the rafters at ssw, and the inspired ’stone circle-cake’. I have never seen or tasted anything like it.

    All my love Paul, family and friends

    xxxxx

  14. Andrew Napier Says:
    September 4th, 2006 at 19:55:34
    Very sad to hear this news, I only just heard today. I knew Paul in the early nineties. I remember him as always smiling, laughing and full of enthusiasm, just one of the friendliest, most genuine and likeable people you could meet. All the messages on here are a great tribute to that. My deepest sympathy to his family and all those who were close to him.
  15. DyAnne DiSalvo (USA) Says:
    September 5th, 2006 at 13:29:42
    My niece, Korina spent this past summer studying with Paul at the University of Edinburgh. His electric and warm personality, genuine
    curiousity and stunning talent is what she takes with her as she
    continues her studies. Thank you, Paul.
  16. Korina Gougouli Says:
    September 6th, 2006 at 08:01:46
    Having Paul as a summer school tutor was an honor. I feel real lucky to have come across such great people like Paul. I was looking forward to having him as a college teacher. He was such a tallented and free spirited pearson always telling the class stories and of course encouraging us all to get myspace: ) I am only sixteen years old and Paul helped me see beauty from a different perspective, I had built a Balloon statue in his class, the base was a spiral symbolizing eternity, the base held a pole and at the end of it there was a horizontal pole going across, attached to it were strings and from each one i attached balloons inflated in different levels there was one balloon however that i had filled up with helium, Paul had interpreted the sculpture as if the balloons that hung were people which were close to earth but dead and then he had said that the one that is in the air was the one that was able to escape and that, that one was the one that was alive, Paul is the balloon that is now up in the air traveling while we keep him alive by cherishing the memories he helped us build with him. Thank you for helping people like my self discover themselves and their gifts through sharing your own talent to do so.
    Take care Paul wherever you are.
  17. Andy Kennedy Says:
    September 6th, 2006 at 13:26:55
    I am very shocked and very sad to hear about Pauls death. He’s a great influence and inspiration to a lot of people and was an exceptional artists and thinker and will be missed. My love to all who knew him well and especially Kate and his family.
    with great admiration and love andy k
  18. gair Says:
    September 6th, 2006 at 17:17:10
    I am very sad to hear this news; Paul was a warm and thoughtful artist and citizen.
  19. student Says:
    September 7th, 2006 at 06:41:08
    i knew paul for a week but feels like a life-time. we laughed so much intense wsculpture work shop. i was 2 months clean of adiction when we met and when i left adiction replaced with new “Sculptur”
  20. Denise White Says:
    September 15th, 2006 at 16:45:03
    I am so sad to hear the news about paul he was such a fun tutor and I am sure he will be really missed.My thoughts are with his family.
  21. Apolo Says:
    September 16th, 2006 at 07:38:19
    hello Paul, still dificoult to believe it, it seems like another peace of art, it honours me to have known you, your support during eca years was so fresh and inspiring, i will always remember. it is a pitty that somebody like you has to leave but that it is becouse you are needed up there to carry on working.
    Love for all your family
  22. Anne Bevan Says:
    October 13th, 2006 at 09:39:42
    We’re going to have a celebration of Paul’s life in the Sculpture Court at Edinburgh College of Art on October 30th. Some of Paul’s work will be on show and at 5pm there will be live music and an opportunity to raise a toast to this amazing guy. We all miss him terribly, but the memory of his smile, humour and talent live on. Please come and join us on the 30th.
  23. Chris Hill Says:
    October 31st, 2006 at 07:33:20
    Some photos of that event here - http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=paul&w=19473027%40N00&s=rec
  24. Alan Walsh Says:
    December 15th, 2006 at 13:52:33
    Sad to hear of Paul’s death.
    Apologies are never too late.
    As kids I once threw pauls fishing rod into Broompark duck pond(I was a rascal I was),later on we were in a band together with Dave Rob and Kenny Andrews (a another two rascals ). Paul (who by now was also a rascal) was a good drummer as well I’ll have you all know, but wisely followed his art career. Any way sorry about you fishing rod. (Don’t think heed have caught anything anyway as all the fish were at the bottom of the weir under the old bridge by the creaky tree). Paul never sed anything about this until a few years after the band had melted into the duck pond of eternity. “What a Gent. What a Scholar. What an Artist. We will all miss you and your fishing rod”.
    Luv Walshy.
  25. We Saw a Chicken … » Blog Archive » Carter Arter Blues Says:
    December 21st, 2006 at 20:22:20
    [...] Arter Blues For Paul Carter: Carter Arter Blues - Alan Walsh(mp3). [...]
  26. Gordon Wilson Says:
    December 27th, 2006 at 12:53:01
    A real shock to hear of the loss of one of the most vibrant souls I ever met. We spent many long nights discussing the ills of the world and trying to put them to rights. One on of these nights, just before he was due to start work on his masters piece to be displayed on Busby main street, we consumed copious amounts of red wine and set off into the night with a pair of wire cutters to liberate a neighbourhood watch sign from its place on a lamppost. Paul had decided he would need one to copy for his billboard (although i’m sure he had the talent to do it from memory). Everone who knew him must have a dozen such stories and it is for the nights like these that he will be most sorely missed. Such a sad loss of one whom im sure had much more to say. See you on the dark side Paul…
  27. SG Says:
    August 2nd, 2007 at 20:23:04
    how did you decide what to post?!
  28. We Saw a Chicken … » Blog Archive » for Paul Carter Says:
    August 12th, 2007 at 11:04:57
    [...] for Paul Carter for Paul Carter. Paul died a year ago today. [...]

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