SEEING our attention being brought once more to those murals (Letters, September 13) reminded me of the repeated one depicting what always gives me on the impression of a forest fire with its coloured leaves' and flames' packed on top of each other!

Fortunately I was idly eating my breakfast Weetabix today and spotted the logo that made me smile and wonder if the artist was inspired by that, either from choice or subconsciously!

It also reminded me of the immediate postwar period when I was being prepared for my return to civvy street by a very gifted Italian artist in Rome since I'd always liked painting and drawing in general and my RAF superiors thought my drawings of aircraft might gain me a job using such under the educational classes one could go to. I learnt much.

One time the professor', as we knew him, had us paint in watercolours whatever we had in our heads!

I recall a colleague portraying an open human head with a cactus growing out of it! Weird!

My presentation drew praise from the professor as he stood behind me. He was in raptures! He eventually asked me what it represented. "I liked the colours'' I replied as he looked at the mass or mess on my board. He insisted it must mean something. I relented and said I'd been inspired by two fried eggs on an odd piece of toast with lashings of tomato sauce which I'd had in our canteen that morning, the whole mashed together.

His humour was not like mine! So much for modern art!

My very first job in April 1947 was as a brush hand, painting black gunge over the camouflaged barrage balloon hangars near Titchfield, from a 30ft ladder in a strong wind! I did go on to be a painter and decorator for some years!

My desire to become a newspaper reporter fell on the first hurdle of no college training.

ERNIE SEARS, Netley Abbey.