Discover Ken White's Hidden Art Behind Virgin's Scarlet Lady Planes!

Ken White was a well-known artist from Swindon, famous for his murals and paintings. One of his most recognized works is the Scarlet Lady, a mural of a smiling woman in a red leotard holding a Union Jack flag, which he hand-painted onto Virgin Atlantic planes. Ken White also created many murals around Swindon, such as the Golden Lion Bridge in the 1970s. He started his career as a sign painter for the Great Western Railway and became a familiar face in his community. People would often greet him on the street, and he was known for being humble, preferring to call himself a painter rather than an artist.

When Ken White passed away, he was still working on a new painting in his home studio. The painting was left on his easel, and it is not clear if it was finished. His studio was filled with his artwork, books, and art supplies. He used the top of a chest of drawers as his palette, and after many years, the paint on it became several inches thick. After his death, his children discovered many paintings in the attic that had never been shown to the public. These previously unseen works are now part of an exhibition at The Little Gallery in Marlborough, Wiltshire. The exhibition was originally organized by Ken himself, but after his passing, his children helped complete it and included his last painting. Some of the works are for sale, while others are being kept by the family as personal favorites.

Ken White's art was not limited to local scenes. He also painted advertisements for musicians and worked in recording studios, which allowed him to meet many famous people, including Mike Oldfield, XTC, and the Sex Pistols. His son Asa joked that Ken seemed to have met almost every famous person. The gallery owner, Grant Ford, believes Ken White deserves more recognition as a British artist and hopes the exhibition will help more people appreciate his work. Some of the paintings in the show reflect Ken's interest in pop art and social issues like animal testing. The exhibition will run until August 12, with paintings priced from one hundred to fifteen thousand pounds. Ken White's murals are considered iconic in Swindon, and many believe he was ahead of his time, creating street art before it became popular.