P.S. Paul McCartney's Sketches

"I felt like somehow it wasn't allowed for people like me..."

When Paul McCartney turned 40, he began to paint. Unlike John Lennon, he never went to art school. He always felt that

…somehow it wasn’t allowed for people like me.¹

Paul had no training, but he had been doodling and sketching since he was a kid. And, he happened to get encouragement from his friend, the great artist Willem de Kooning. So McCartney picked up a paint brush in midlife.

An image of Paul with one of his paintings taken by his wife, Linda

Like many of the creative people I’ve covered in Noted, McCartney’s creativity extended beyond the art form he’s known for. He was always interested in the visual arts. His whimsical childhood sketches, his drawings of Beatles logos, and his later paintings all prove it.

So join me on this exploration of McCartney’s delightful sketches—and his equally delightful solution to overcoming creative block!

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