6. Composition in Yellow and Blue (Dons March to Glory)

This monumental work, in concept if not execution, utilised more swatch-pots than any other of the artist’s works, in some place being applied to the depth of four millimetres. The vision of AFC Wimbledon as a well-drilled, organized and highly focussed unit proved a sensation when first unveiled, gloriously catching the zeitgeist of it’s age. Later, with the deflation of hopes and the shredding of innocence following the highly contentious ’18 point incident’ it was re-evaluated and critics raised shrill voice against it. Fleydon too seems to share at least some of the reservations

I reminded Fleydon of one well-known critics assertion that the characters depicted reminded him of ‘A gaggle of zombies on their way to a gay pride march’. Fleydon blushed perceptibly and muttered something about ‘Action Men’, his Uncle Albert and the fact that the flag might “.. reflect a brief period of experimentation and discovery in my private life. Besides, painting heads can be very tricky sometimes and it could be that now and then things don’t come out as you might have hoped. But it’s a backlash, these things pass…”

Fleydon then took me firmly by the elbow and lead me swiftly on to the next canvas

Composition in Yellow & Blue (Dons march to Glory) appearing by kind permission of the Stonewall Memorial Fund