AN ARTIST whose paintings of planes, trains and ships adorned galleries in Ruislip over a quarter-of-a-century will be honoured at an exhibition, following his death last month.
Joe Latham, 85, of Seaford Close, had been a member of the Society of Ruislip Artists (SRA) since 1985 and a member of the Guild of Aviation Artists since 1997.
He was born and raised in Worcester and joined the BBC at 17 as a transmitter. He soon moved to London and helped with the 1948 Olympic Games radio coverage.
Through his job, Joe met future wife Sylvia and they married in 1950. After raising two sons, Andrew and Charlie, in Southall, the couple moved to Ruislip in 1976.
It was when Joe retired in 1983, as head of programme operations for BBC radio, that he began to concentrate on his hobby of painting.
Joe specialised in watercolours and completed more than 20 sketchbook diaries and sold more than 550 pictures. He was also a member of the Colne Group and the Ickenham Art Society and even once won the Hillingdon Watercolour Challenge.
At SRA Joe had been secretary, programme secretary, served on the selection committee and the hanging committee.
Exhibition secretary Joyce Carpenter said of him: "Joe was a very important and highly thought-of member and joined in any event we took part in.
"Everyone loved his paintings, mainly of aeroplanes in watercolour, and our exhibitions won’t be the same without them.
"He came to our rescue recently when we needed a heavy duty easel for one of our demonstrations."
Joe and Sylvia were married for 61 years until Sylvia died in December last year. As well as two sons the couple had three granddaughters and two grandsons.
Joe died on February 10 at Hillingdon Hospital after a kidney infection. He was described as "a cheerful, kind and lovely man".
Six of his paintings will be on display at the SRA exhibition in the Cow Byre, Manor Farm, Ruislip, running each day until Saturday March 24, from 10am to 5pm.
