Joe Tilcer was a paraplegic artist who spent most of his adult life at the Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre. In 1972, he provided an autobiography to the Australian Handicapped and Disabled Artists Journal. The CALHN Health Museum has several of Joe’s paintings in its collection, including the recently donated painting ‘Dandelions’ by the Barbour and Trenaman families.
My name is Joe Tilcer, I was born in 1908 in Czechoslavakia. I lived with my parents in a small country place and before the time came to go to school I had plenty of time for myself and freedom to roam around with other boys through the beautiful countryside, valleys and woods.
In school, right from the beginning, it became apparent that I had a remarkable gift for drawing and painting as soon as we were given watercolours and brush to use. I used to draw in the class what I had to, and coming home I would take my slate and draw anything I could think of – birds, animals, people, landscapes, houses etc. I would show to my father or mother, wipe it off, and put on new ideas as they came. Later on when we were using paper and watercolours that was the real time of my life.
Primary and secondary education completed, the time came to decide what course in life to take. My parents asked me: “What would you like to be?” Without hesitation I said “I want to be an artist”. That was the end of my artistic career.
I was sent to the Commercial Academy instead. Four years of hard work and study followed and I had no time to do any painting, not even think of it. Occasionally I would go and see exhibitions of those lucky ones who got what they wanted and it gave me always a sad feeling thinking – this could have been you and your work.
The commercial education completed I received employment in a bank and had more time for myself and my interests. I started paining using oils and the results were satisfactory. I used to spend my holidays abroad, travelled as much as I could and made sure to see the greatest art treasures of the world in ‘Le Louvre” in Parris, “el Prado” in Madrid and the “Uffizi” in Florence.
In 1948 I left Czechoslovakia, stayed two years in Switzerland, and in 1950 migrated to Australia.
Eight years later I suffered an accident and broke my neck, became paralysed from the neck down with no hope of recovery of any kind. Life in hospital followed. I decided to study accountancy, and using a wheelchair I attended the lectures. In 1965 I received my diploma of accountancy. Because of my severe disability I was unable to take any full time employment and became secretary-treasurer of the Paraplegic Association of South Australia. After the accident I also became seriously interested in painting.
It gives me the greatest pleasure when my friend can take me out on a good day and put me in the wheelchair somewhere near the roadside in a selected location where I can paint as I see it. Sometimes I find myself in a rather difficult situation when a lady asks me “Can I sit behind you and watch you working”. This I can’t do, and so using the greatest possible amount of tack and politeness I decline this request. I can not do any work when people try and watch me.
I also do watercolour sketches and take colour pictures that I can work on days when I can not go out. When I cannot go out, I usually paint other things than landscapes using my own ideas.
Although severely handicapped, I have been rather fortunate in that respect that there is a little bit of something left in my arms and the hands so that I can hold the brush in my fingers and use it in a way rather different than artists usually do.
My greatest wish is to concentrate on painting only which I could not do when I was the secretary-treasurer of the Paraplegic Association, and my work suffered that way so that not all of my paintings were to my satisfaction. This year I have retired as secretary-treasurer and if my health is good enough so that I shall not have to stay in bed for long periods of time I may finally get what I was longing for all my fourteen years in a wheelchair – and that is to live for my art only.
Written by Margot Way, CALHN Health Museum